Feed Processing For On-Farm Use: Feed Mixing

The most abundant animals farmed with are the ruminants. Ruminants make out a large group. Cattle, sheep, goats and most antelope fall in this group. Farmers may farm extensively with cattle, sheep and goats, but in the case of dairy cattle and sometimes, sheep and goats intensive or semi-intensive farming is practised. In cases of intensive farming, the ration fed to the animals must include all the nutrients needed.

Extensive grazing pastures may also need extra feed in drought times in the form of licks. The farmer can feed already mixed feed or he can mix his own. Pig and poultry farmers feed concentrate to their pigs or chickens. Dairy cattle or beef cattle and sheep farmers will feed roughage as well as concentrates.

It is very important that farmers mix their rations in the correct way. The following must be kept in mind when mixing feeds and licks.

Very expensive modern machinery is available to mill and mix feeds. Unless very large quantities of feed must be mixed, hand mixing is quite effective if certain principles are adhered to.

The equipment required must include a scale, shovels or spades and a floor large enough to do the mixing on. Although a well-packed earth floor can serve, a cement or concrete mixing floor is better.

The manner in which you mix is very important. This is best achieved by the following procedure:

• The major constituent of the mixture is spread on the floor. The other constituents are then spread in layers over this first layer until all the components have been added. Shovels or spades are then used to mix the ingredients; much as concrete mixing is done. The people doing the mixing start at the edge of the layered ingredients and, using spades or shovels, turn the feed over with a mixing motion and move the mixed feed to one side, while at the same time heaping it. The mound of feed is then moved while continuing the mixing motion. Moving the mound back and forth is repeated two or three times, after which the feeds are usually well mixed.
• Where very small quantities of an ingredient must be evenly distributed in a feed e.g. ionospheres, making a premix has been shown to make it possible to distribute the relevant ingredient very evenly throughout the mix. Making a premix involves taking a small amount, say a bucket full, of one of the ingredients of the diet (maize meal is usually taken, even if it is not one of the ingredients of the mixture) and the additive mixed well into this bucket full of meal. When all the other ingredients have been spread in layers on the mixing floor, the premix is carefully sprinkled over the top, while taking care that all the feed is covered with the premix (almost like spreading salt over a plate of food). Mixing proceeds as described above.
• Ingredients must always be weighed out on a scale that has been checked for accuracy. Mistakes with feed mixing are usually caused by the addition of incorrect quantities of one or more ingredients. Care must be taken to ensure that all the ingredients are added and that they are added once only.
• Ideally, when a new batch of an ingredient is obtained, it should be chemically analysed and checked for toxins. This is often not feasible in the farm situation, especially where small quantities are involved. However, farmers should examine feeds carefully. Often contaminants can be seen. Where feed has become wet, it must be examined for the presence of fungal growth. Mycotoxins are produced by fungi that inhibit animal growth and can cause animal deaths.
• Some modern feed additives are dangerous to use because they are poisonous or toxic. Farmers are well-advised to read the instructions provided with additives. It can happen that a company revises the chemical composition of an additive. Unless instructions are read, farmers will not be aware of changes in the product and should the additive be made more concentrated, adding the same quantity could cause major losses.

The mixed ratio should look the same throughout the bunk or in the self-feeder. While inadequate mixing can be a common problem, you can also mix too long in a vertical mixer thereby breaking down the necessary particle size required to ensure good digestion.

It is important that a well-mixed feed don’t ‘sort out’ or separate. This can cause some cattle to receive an overdose of supplements whilst others receive none. Sorting out can occur due to differences in particle size and weight of the various feedstuffs. Ingredients that are added in small amounts, for example, vitamins and minerals, should be mixed with one or two buckets of grain before being added to the mixer.

Vertical Grinder Mix

The following is a recommended method of adding supplements to a vertical grinder mixer:

• Add half a grain or other concentrate used.
• Add the supplement premixed with grain.
• Add the rest of the grain.
• Add the roughage.
• Mix for five minutes at the feeding site to eliminate separation occurring during travel to the feeding location.

Floor Mix

Very expensive modern machinery is available to mill and mix feeds. Unless very large quantities of feed must be mixed, hand mixing is quite effective if certain principles are adhered to.

The equipment required must include a scale, shovels or spades and a floor large enough to do the mixing on. Although a well-packed earth floor can serve, a cement or concrete mixing floor is better.

Feed ingredients should be mixed at regular intervals preferably daily to avoid spoilage. In some instances where cattle are fed twice a day, it may be necessary to mix feed more than once per day.

Always remember that the best practice is only to mix enough feed for one feeding. If too much feed is mixed sorting out or separation can occur necessitating the need to remix feed thereby causing a breakdown of particle size.

Feed that is left over is also more likely to spoil and spoiled feed can cause sickness and loss of appetite in cattle thereby severely affecting the profitability of the feedlot enterprise.

Click here to view a video that explains the production of high-quality pig feed.

Click here to view a video that explains the mixing of sheep feed.