Any trip to the local feed store and you will many different types to feed your animals: meal, pellet, block, or textured. With many different choices deciding what the “best” feed is depends on many different factors. What type of livestock are you feeding? Will there be more than one species of animal being fed? The production goals of those animals? The equipment you have available? What is the topography of the pasture? In truth any of those forms can work for you. You may even know people who use the different types, and each type has it’s pros and cons.
Meal
This type of feed is made up of ingredients that are dry ground to be the same consistency. If they are different sizes some feed segregation may occur. Smaller animals such as sheep and goats may pick out the ones they prefer negating the balance of the formula. Since it is a dry formula you can add some molasses to the mix. But you will need to be careful doing that. The salt and mineral ingredients will absorb moisture and will cause it to clump. Feeding a meal feed will require a trough or tub that you will need to fill by hand. A benefit of using a tub or trough is that it helps keep the livestock evenly distributed across the pasture.
Pellets
Pelleted feeds are meal mixes that are mixed with some level of steam. They are forced through a pelleted die to form the desired size. A benefit of using pellets is the steam which breaks down the outer layer of the carbohydrate granule. What that does is allow the microorganisms in the rumen access the starch more readily. Thus increasing digestibility of the feed. A drawback to using this type is that you will use some nutrition in the binding process. A benefit is that feeding larger diameter size (more than 3/8″) can be fed on the ground wherever the livestock may be.
Blocks
Blocked supplements are a unique concept of mixing and holding the ingredients together in a large size container. Developing a ration that will stick together tight enough to slow intake while also being soft enough to allow enough intake will require a mixture of science and art. Similar to pellets you will sacrifice some nutrition; in order to control intake salt, binder, and other limiters need to be added making the energy level lower than mixes that don’t require a binder. A benefit of blocks is that they can be fed anywhere regardless of terrain helping to promote even grazing. One drawback that I have seen is that some people do not buy enough blocks for the number of head that they have so the more timid ones may not get all of the nutrition they need. Closely following the recommended feeding requirements is the best way to control this.
Textured Feeds
Textured feeds is a mix that will have ingredients of different particle sizes, like what is used in a feedlot ration. A drawback to this type is with the different sized particles animals can pick out what they prefer leaving the others untouched. A major benefit to the different size particles is if you are using roughages in the diet it will allow the roughages to be course which is necessary for proper rumen function. If you grind them too small they will pass through the rumen too quickly which can cause it to become more acidic causing acidosis in your animals.
I discuss how you can use supplements to improve grazing here.
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