The Farm
Adrian McMahon farms suckler cows, sheep, and beef near the village of Bullaun, just outside Loughrea in Co. Galway. It’s the home farm — his father was here before him. The herd is predominantly Limousin-cross with some Parthenaise and a few Blues mixed in, and the entire operation is now 100% AI.
He runs a 50/50 split between spring and autumn calving — a deliberate choice that gives him weanlings to sell twice a year rather than everything landing at once. Bulls make up around 90% of what leaves the farm, most aimed at the export market, with some heifers kept as replacements or sold as specials.
The ground is heavy. Summers in the west can be sharp. Grass growth is never guaranteed. On land like that, hitting target weights on time is the difference between a good trade and a frustrating one — and it’s why Adrian has built his programme around two Natural Stockcare products that he’s used for years.
A Chance Conversation at Ballinasloe
Adrian came across Natural Stockcare by chance. He was at a mart in Ballinasloe, noticed the condition of another farmer’s stock, and got talking.
“I happened to be at a mart and a friend of mine was using it. The stock looked super. Ever since that, I’ve been going down the same road as him.”
That was a few years ago. Since then, two products — MuscleVite and Solu-E — have become fixtures in his programme. He sources them locally through John Murray’s in Ballinasloe.
MuscleVite: The Weight Gain Edge
MuscleVite is an oral drench combining vitamins A, D, and E with organic trace elements — cobalt, copper, zinc, manganese, iodine, and selenium — alongside amino acids including L-Lysine. The propylene glycol base provides rapid energy to rumen microbes, supporting feed conversion and daily liveweight gain. For a farmer finishing bulls for export on heavy ground, where every kilo counts, that’s the point.
Adrian uses it as a core part of his finishing programme. Bulls being prepared for export get around 40ml — dosed at 5ml per 50 kilos — and he puts them through the crush every six weeks, particularly during the feeding period when weight gain matters most. He finds it easy to administer through the dosing gun, with no issues around flow or waste.
“You see the weight gain. You see extra thrive as a result of it. Absolutely, definitely.”
The visual signs are there too — coat condition, general bloom, the things an experienced stockperson picks up on before any animal goes near a scales.
“They look well. Nice coats on them. They look good. The thrive is important — the biggest thing is when you start feeding your weanlings for sale. It’s a big plus.”
Research backs this up. Studies on trace element deficiency in grazing cattle have shown that poor mineral status alone can reduce liveweight gains by over 40%. On heavy land in the west of Ireland, where grass mineral content can be unreliable, targeted supplementation with products like MuscleVite helps close that gap.
Adrian’s calves are coming in at eight or nine months at 400 to 450 kilos — strong numbers that reflect careful management and consistent supplementation. And he handles them regularly enough through the dosing programme that they’re quieter as a result, which is no small thing when you’re working cattle for export.
The Economics of MuscleVite
Adrian doesn’t overthink the cost. At current cattle prices, an extra two or three kilos of liveweight gain pays for the product several times over.
“It’s actually cheap if you ask me. It pays for itself. If you’re getting an extra two to three kilos, which you could do if you’re feeding them right — that adds up with the price of cattle at the moment.”
On a farm where the land is heavy and summers can be unpredictable, MuscleVite helps Adrian make the most of the feeding period and hit target weights before conditions turn against him.
Solu-E: Fertility and Post-Calving Recovery
The other product that has made a measurable difference on Adrian’s farm is Solu-E — a soluble liquid combining Vitamin E and Selenium. These two antioxidants work together to support immune function, muscle development, and crucially for a suckler herd, reproductive health.
Adrian’s protocol is straightforward: roughly 70ml a month before calving and 100ml a month afterwards. On a farm running 100% AI with a 50/50 calving split, fertility is everything. A cow that doesn’t hold to first service slips in the system — calving later, producing a lighter calf, and potentially falling out of the programme altogether.
“The Solu-E cows were perfect. They came around the first time. Very high conception rates. It’s proven — it definitely works.”
He’s seen cows cycling a month after calving, which on a suckler farm is a strong result. And he values the knock-on effect of fewer interventions — less handling means less stress, less risk of infection, and fewer complications.
“Every time you handle a cow, there’s a chance of something going wrong. It definitely helps clean them out, and they’re back in service when they’re coming around.”
This year, he paid particular attention to the later-calving cows, using Solu-E specifically to bring them around faster. The results confirmed what he’d already seen.
“We dosed the cows, the later-calving cows especially. We used the Solu-E and it really made a big difference. The cows came cycling and we’re very happy with it.”
Staying With What Works
Adrian isn’t a man for overcomplicating things. He tried the products, saw the results on his own stock, and stuck with them. Years later, nothing has changed.
“It works here. It’s proven. Definitely going forward, I’ll be sticking with it. I’ll be using it for years.”
If you’d like to find out more about MuscleVite or Solu-E for your own herd, get in touch with our team or visit the full Natural Stockcare product range.
