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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 November 2017
Magnesium (Mg) and Phosphorus (P) are essential for various metabolic functions of dairy heifers and thus any dietary imbalance may be detrimental for growing heifers. The most frequently used source of Mg is calcined magnesite (MgO), which has an availability of only 0.20 and is unpalatable to animals. Other inorganic sources of minerals are usually expensive, may be difficult to mix into a premix and can be unpalatable. This study compared the effect of feeding fixed amounts of two mineral mixes that had almost identical mineral levels but differed in sources to supply Mg and P, on palatability, growth and health status of growing heifers.