Using a Feed Mixer
If the Feed Mixer Is Not Used Correctly, Even the Best Ration Is Useless
In dairy or fattening operations, a successful feeding program is not limited to using the right raw materials in the right amounts. The prepared ration must reach the animal in front of it in a homogeneous and physically correct structure.
A ration that looks perfect on paper may fail to deliver the expected results in the field due to incorrect use of the feed mixer, loading feeds in the wrong order, dull knives, or mixing for too long or too short.
The goal is simple: no matter which part of the feed bunk the animal eats from, it should consume as much of the same ration as possible.
Why Is a Homogeneous Mixture Important in a Feed Mixer?
The fundamental purpose of TMR, or Total Mixed Ration, is to mix roughage, grains, protein sources, mineral-vitamin blends, and other feeds as homogeneously as possible.
In a well-prepared TMR, it becomes difficult for the animal to sort its feed. This helps prevent one animal from consuming more grain while another consumes more roughage.
If the mixture is not sufficiently homogeneous, concentrate feed may accumulate in some areas of the bunk while the roughage ratio increases in others. This can particularly increase feed sorting behavior in dairy cattle and cause animals to consume a nutrient profile different from the formulated ration.
In What Order Should Feeds Be Loaded into the Mixer?
It is not correct to provide a single loading order valid for every operation here. Whether the machine is vertical or horizontal, its auger structure, capacity, the length and moisture content of the roughages used can change the loading order. First and foremost, the recommendation of the machine manufacturer should be taken into account.
The general working principle is as follows:
- Long and dry roughages: If long-stemmed hay, dry grass, or similar materials need to be reduced in size, they are generally loaded into the machine early. However, when reducing roughage, it should not be turned into flour; excessive chopping can damage the physically effective fiber structure of the ration.
- Dry and smaller-particle feeds: After the roughage reaches the appropriate physical structure, grains, protein sources, and other dry feeds can be introduced into the system.
- Minerals, vitamins, and low-inclusion-rate additives: It is important that products used in small amounts, such as premixes and minerals, are evenly distributed within the mixture. When necessary, pre-mixing with a suitable carrier feed yields better results.
- Silage and high-moisture feeds: Corn silage and similar moist materials are introduced into the system and mixed with the other feeds.
- Molasses and other liquid products: Liquid products must be distributed as evenly as possible within the mixture; adding excessive liquid to a single point can cause clumping.
Why Is Knife Sharpness Important?
Dull, broken, or worn knives may crush, drag, or fail to adequately chop roughage instead of cutting it properly. As a result, long and irregular roughage pieces may remain in the ration, making it easier for animals to sort feed, disrupting the homogeneity of the mixture, extending the machine’s operating time, and increasing fuel or electricity consumption. Establishing a regular knife inspection program on the farm is quite beneficial.
Overmixing Is Also Not Correct
The idea that “the longer we mix, the more homogeneous it becomes” is not always true. Insufficient mixing can cause raw materials to be unevenly distributed; however, excessive mixing and cutting can lead to over-reduction of roughages. Therefore, the target is not the maximum mixing time, but the optimum mixing time.
Overfilling the Machine Can Disrupt Homogeneity
There must be sufficient space inside the machine for the feeds to move. When loading exceeds capacity, the material cannot move sufficiently, and achieving a homogeneous mixture becomes difficult. For this reason, the minimum and maximum operating capacities determined by the machine manufacturer should be taken into account.
How Do We Know If the Mixture Is Homogeneous?
After the feed is distributed, the ration at the beginning, middle, and end of the bunk can be compared. For a more technical evaluation, equipment such as the Penn State Particle Separator can be used. In addition, whether animals sort the bunk by mixing it and selecting certain pieces should also be monitored.
Producing the Same Ration Every Day Is Important
True success is that the ration prepared today and the ration prepared tomorrow resemble each other as much as possible. For this, the loading order, raw material quantity, knife condition, mixing time, machine fill ratio, and distribution method should be standardized as much as possible.
In conclusion
In dairy and fattening operations, the feed mixer is not merely a piece of equipment that mixes feeds together; it is the final link that correctly delivers the formula prepared by the ration specialist to the animal. A correctly formulated ration may fail to achieve the targeted performance due to incorrect loading order, dull knives, overfilling, or incorrect mixing time.
Therefore, the question to be asked on the farm should not only be “What do we put into the ration?”: “Can the animal truly consume exactly the same ration we prepare in every bite?” Because in a good feeding program, the goal is not only to weigh feeds in the correct ratios; it is to be able to maintain those ratios from the beginning to the end of the bunk.