Understanding Minerals & Feed Additives

Minerals and feed additives are the small extras. They are not the feed itself. Most of what your cow or buffalo eats in a day is still fodder, silage and wanda — and that is where it should stay. A supplement only earns its place when something is missing from that ration.

Why minerals matter

Your animals need minerals for the everyday things: keeping bones strong, supporting milk, keeping digestion and appetite normal. Most of the time, the feed and fodder you already give covers it. Trouble usually starts quietly, when the ration is short of something, or when one mineral is out of balance with another.

Think of a supplement as filling a gap, not as a shortcut. It supports the feeding programme you already have. It does not replace good fodder, clean water or a balanced wanda.

Start with the ration you already have

Before you look at any product, sit down and write out what your animals are already eating. The fodder, the wanda, how much milk they are giving. And the animals themselves — cows or buffaloes, milking or dry, young or mature — because what an animal needs changes with its stage.

That little list changes the question. It stops being “which supplement is best?” and becomes “what, if anything, is missing from this ration?”

What to check on a product label

You are standing at the shop with a bag or a tub in your hands. Turn it around and read the label. That is where the honest answers are.

First, how is it meant to be offered — mixed into the feed, offered free-choice, or as a block? The label should say, and it should say how much. Follow what it says. Do not guess a bigger amount; more is not better here.

Then check who it is meant for. A product made for milking cows may not suit dry animals, calves, or sheep and goats. Make sure your animals are the ones on the label.

Look at the storage instructions too. Minerals and additives can lose quality if they get damp or sit in the heat, so store them the way the label directs. And check for a batch or manufacturing date — it tells you how fresh the product is, and it gives you something to quote if you ever need to ask the supplier about it.

If any of this is missing from the label, ask the supplier for it before you buy.

Questions to ask your supplier

A good supplier welcomes questions, so do not hold back. Ask them to explain in plain words what gap this product is meant to fill in a ration like yours. Ask whether it suits your animals and their stage, because milking, dry, growing and pregnant animals all have different needs. Ask how to introduce it — some products are brought in gradually — and what to watch for in the first few days. Ask whether it fits with the feed you already give, your current wanda and fodder. Ask what normal looks like, and what signs mean you should stop and call the supplier or a veterinarian. And ask what it costs — confirm it directly, not from an old figure.

Write the answers down. A notebook by the feed store costs nothing. If the answers come back vague, that tells you something too.

Adding it to the programme

One change at a time. That is the whole rule. If you change the wanda, the fodder and the supplement in the same week, you will never know which one made the difference. Keep the rest of the ration steady, give the change time, and then watch the animals for a week or so. Appetite. Dung. General condition. Milk. They will tell you more than any label can.

Keep a simple record: the date you started, the product name, how you offered it, and anything you noticed. Two lines a week is enough.

The Vibro range

Vibro Feeds offers a minerals and additives range for farmers who want to explore supplementation for an existing feeding programme. The range names are Advance Chelated, DCP+, Yeast Plus, Bind Plus, Buffer Plus, Active, Minerals, Mineral Molasses Block and Urea Molasses Block. These are enquiry products — talk to the team about which options may be relevant to your farm, rather than choosing from a list alone.

Talk to the Vibro team

Every farm is different, and the right choice depends on your animals, their production stage and the ration they already get. If you are reviewing minerals or feed additives for your farm, talk to the Vibro team about your feeding requirements — or message us on WhatsApp at 0330 0044001 — and we will help you explore the relevant range.