Dairy Cows

Nutrition plays a significant role in the health, productivity, and overall well-being of your cattle and other livestock. You want your cattle to be in the best shape and produce the best milk or beef possible, which means you need to pay close attention to what you feed them.

Many farmers and ranchers incorporate premix into their cattle’s diets. But what is premix, and how can it help your operation? Learn the basics of premix so you can decide if it’s the right move for you.

What Is Feed Premix?

Animal feed premix is a blend of vitamins, minerals, supplements, and other nutritional ingredients designed to provide a balanced diet and meet the specific nutritional needs of your livestock. It’s blended with other feed ingredients — like grains, roughage, and protein sources — to optimize your feed’s nutritional profile.

Whether you’re focused on reproduction, development, growth, or maintenance, having a cattle premix full of the right micronutrients can help.

Premix vs. Complete Feed

Some feeds may provide plenty of energy and protein but lack the nutrients necessary to support the performance and health of your cattle. Premix can be added to these feeds to ensure your animals’ nutritional needs are fully being met.

Complete feeds, however, are made to be the sole source of nutrition for your cattle. Their formulas should have all the grains, protein, and micronutrients needed to maintain and promote animal production. A complete feed should already have premix included in its formula, so nothing needs to be added.

How Is Premix Used?

Premixes come in strong concentrates and are not meant to be directly fed to your livestock. Instead, premix is added to your normal feed in very small amounts. You need to carefully and accurately measure the premix before combining it with your feed to make sure your cattle receive the right amount of nutrients.

How much premix you add depends on the premix formula, the nutritional goals you have for your livestock, and the feed you add it to. It’s best to work with an animal nutritionist and strictly follow any guidelines and instructions provided by your premix manufacturer.

How Can My Operation Benefit From Cattle Feed Premix?

If you aren’t already using a complete feed, you risk nutrient deficiencies and your cattle might not produce at their full potential. Adding a premix can combat malnutrition while offering tons of other great benefits.

Premix makes up a very small portion of your final animal feed, but with the right formula, its impact can be significant. Premix for cattle feed can help your animals produce quality milk and beef, support them through different stages of growth, and improve their health and immunity.

Plus, when your cattle receive all the right nutrients, it can help cut down on feed consumption. Less feed means less cost, and when you combine that with increased productivity, it can make a huge difference for your bottom line.

How Do I Pick a Feed Premix Manufacturer?

There are tons of animal feed premix manufacturers, but you don’t want to trust the well-being of your livestock with just anyone. A quality feed premix requires a knowledgeable manufacturer who will care for your animals as if they were their own.

While standard, ready-made premix is an option, these premixes can be inconsistent in quality and formula. And if your livestock have any dietary restrictions or need specific nutritional support, selecting the right premix becomes even more important. You’ll want to find an experienced feed manufacturer who can create a custom premix blend that meets the exact needs of your livestock.

Custom-Made Premix and Feed for Your Cattle

Star Blends is here to help make your life easier and ensure you have the best feed and nutrients possible at an economical price. Whether you need premix or complete feed, we want to provide you with high-quality feed custom-made for your cattle. We’ll even work with your private nutritionist! Get in touch today to learn how we can help you, your cattle, and your bottom line.

Whether you run an operation with a large herd of dairy cows or just own a cow or two for personal use, you understand how important high milk production is. When your cows are lacking proper nutrition, it could mean losing out on profit or not having enough milk for yourself and your family.

If your dairy cattle aren’t achieving your production goals, you don’t have to accept it. With the right nutrition and care, you can help boost milk yield.

What Affects Milk Production in Cows?

Many factors play into cow milk production. Some are outside your control, such as breed, age, and climate. Other factors you can control, like cow comfort, daily milking frequency, dry periods (time between calvings), and feeding and nutrition.

How Does Feed Intake Affect a Cow’s Milk Production?

In simple terms, more feed intake means more milk. You need to maximize feed intake to support milk production, especially during the early lactation and pre-fresh stages. According to the University of Kentucky, for every extra pound of dry matter (feed with the water subtracted) consumed, an early lactation cow can potentially produce two extra pounds of milk.

When a dairy cow does not consume enough feed (and therefore not enough nutrients), milk production is negatively impacted. At best, the cow may not milk as well as usual. At worst, the cow will start to rely on its own fat stores to produce milk, leading to an underweight cow incapable of producing milk.

You don’t want to go to the other extreme, either. Overweight cows may also have lower yields, and you have to worry about more difficult calving and added veterinary costs. Ensure you are feeding your cattle enough without overfeeding and compromising their health.

How to Increase Milk Production in Your Cows

Monitoring your cows’ health, providing comfortable accommodations, reducing stress, and following best practices for milking and dry periods can all help with milk production. However, none of that will mean much if you don’t provide your cattle with the proper nutrition. If you want to boost milk production, focus on the feed.

Consistent Feeding

As mentioned earlier, feed intake is crucial for supporting milk production. You should prioritize keeping plenty of high-quality feed in front of your cattle. Some recommended practices to follow include:

• Giving cattle access to feed for 22–23 hours a day
• Not allowing feed bunks to become empty
• Pushing feed up every 2-3 hours
• Refreshing feed at least twice a day
• Cleaning out feed bunks daily
• Rotating cows on pasture and providing any necessary supplements

Start with Quality Forage

Quality feed starts with a base of quality forage. Ensure your forage is free from contaminants, which can lead to mold and yeast growth and poor fermentation.

A high-quality forage will encourage higher feed intake because low-quality forage does not pass through the stomach as well. Plus, forage with low contaminant levels can preserve the forage’s nutritional integrity.

Provide the Right Nutrients

Even with a great feeding routine and high-quality forage, your cows’ milk production will be lacking without the proper nutrients. Don’t overlook crude protein and the amino acids that compose it.

Crude Protein

Depending on the stage of lactation a cow is in, crude protein should make up 15–17% of the total dry matter.

Amino Acids

Amino acids make up protein. Lysine and methionine are two amino acids that play a crucial role in milk production but are often deficient. It’s not uncommon for cows to be overfed protein to make up for lysine and methionine deficiencies. But overfeeding protein can be expensive and impact your cows’ productivity.

Nutritionists have started to balance for amino acids to combat methionine and lysine deficiencies and prevent protein overfeeding. Feed that is balanced for amino acids can lead to increased milk yield and increased milk components. Working with a nutritionist can help ensure your feed ration has the right ratio of lysine and methionine to keep your cattle producing at their full potential.

Custom-Made Cattle Feed for Milk Production

Cattle nutrition depends heavily on age, weight, environment, and breed. There is no one-feed-fits-all solution for keeping your dairy cattle at peak production levels.

When providing your cows with the nutrition they need, turn to the experts at Star Blends. Our team can create custom feed tailored to your herd’s specific needs, helping you achieve optimal milk production and overall herd health. We’ll work directly with your nutritionist to ensure your cattle’s needs are being met. Contact us today to learn how we can help keep your cattle healthy and happy.