Homemade Mineral Mixture for Cows, Buffaloes and Goats: Recipe, Dose and Cost

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Homemade Mineral Mixture for Cows, Buffaloes and Goats

Homemade Mineral Mixture for Cows, Buffaloes and Goats

Mix it yourself, pay roughly a quarter of the market price per kg, and know exactly what your animal gets. A short guide by Dr. Ibne Ali.

₹40 per kgvs ₹150-180 for market mixtures
5-10 g a dayper animal, vs about 50 g for market mixtures
100 kg batchminimum, in a dedicated mixer

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1. Think in mg per kg of diet

Requirements are given per kg of feed, not per animal. Copper, for example, is about 10 mg per kg diet for a heifer and for a 650 kg cow alike, and about 22.8 mg per kg for a layer.

So fix the inclusion rate of the premix (2 kg per tonne is common) and calculate each salt from that.

2. Buy the salts, check the pure element

Salts are sold on IndiaMART, Amazon and by chemical suppliers. Judge cost by the percentage of pure element in the salt, not by the price of the bag.

Example: zinc oxide is 80.3% zinc. For 70 mg zinc per kg diet at 2 kg premix per tonne: (70 ÷ 2) × 1000 ÷ 0.803 = 43.6 g zinc oxide per kg premix.

3. Recipe for 100 kg
IngredientQuantity
Zinc oxide3.73 kg
Ferrous sulphate17.41 kg
Manganese sulphate6.6 kg
Copper sulphate2 kg
Potassium iodate28.9 g
Sodium selenite32.8 g
Cobalt carbonate106 g
DORB (carrier)balance to 100 kg

Other carriers: corn gluten, wheat dalia, wheat bran. Cost is about ₹40 per kg.

4. How much to feed

Cattle and buffalo: as top dressing over concentrate, 8-13 g per animal per day depending on body weight and production (a 400 kg animal eating 5 kg concentrate gets about 10 g).

Poultry: mix into the feed. Do not top dress, it can cause toxicity.

Small excess is safe. Deficiency is what to avoid.

5. Mixing and safety

Make at least 100 kg at a time in a dedicated mixer, never the regular feed mixer. Selenium, iodine and cobalt are used in tiny amounts, so uneven mixing can cause toxicity.

Never mix vitamins with minerals. Minerals destroy vitamins, so buy a vitamin premix separately.

Sheep: they are very sensitive to copper. Use a sheep-specific mix.

Cost per dose

Market mixtureabout ₹9
50 g at ₹150-180/kg
Homemade mixture₹0.20-0.40
5-10 g at ₹40/kg
Market mixtures often give only about 12.5 g calcium in a 50 g dose, which is low for a lactating animal. Check the label before you buy.

Organic (chelated) minerals can be more bioavailable, but cost 3-5 times more per unit. Use them selectively, for example in high yielders or around calving.

Want a ready-made option?

Watch: mineral mixture analysis (video)

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