A drug mixer for animal feed can help cattle feedlots save a lot of time and money. These machines precisely weigh and mix drugs and other additives before they’re later applied to cattle feed. If you’ve considered investing in an automated cattle feed mixer, but you’re not sure where to start, we can help.
Let’s take a look at the different options for cattle feed mineral mixers, and what to look for to find the right one.
Things to Consider First
To find the right cattle drug and additive mixer, it’s important to first consider your goals, ingredients, and budget. With this information, you can hone in on the one that’s right for you, and cross other systems off your list.
Write the related information down, so you’ll have some guideposts as you start your equipment search. While more accuracy is better, it’s okay if you have some estimations for now.
- Goals: What would you most like your mixer for cattle feed additives to do? Is your primary concern about saving time, reducing waste and costs, integrating with your existing equipment, or something else?
- Ingredients: What ingredients would you like to include in a powder and mineral feed mixer? Are these ingredients liquids, solids, or both? How accurately must the ingredients be measured?
- Existing equipment: What does your mixing process look like now, and how would you like it to change? How would you like feed mixers for cattle to fit into other processes? For example, how you receive ingredients, or how you transport ingredients to the feedlot.
- Budget: Consider how much you’d like to invest, and how long the machine would have to operate for you to see positive ROI.
With this information, let’s look at some of the options available for cattle feed mixers, and how you might find the optimal machine for your needs.
Contract or No Contract
Many drug suppliers provide micro ingredient mixers for cattle feed that can help feedlot managers effectively mix antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals into their cattle feed. However, these micro ingredient mixers also come with exclusive contracts.
An exclusive contract means feedlot managers are subject to price increases and problems with quality. They don’t have the flexibility to choose the best ingredients.
If you are confident in your drug supplier, this may be an effective option for you.
However, if you prefer flexibility and cost-savings into the future, an exclusive contract might not work for you. If you work with an independent equipment manufacturer, you won’t be trapped in exclusive ingredient contracts.
Get a Cattle Feed Additive Mixer with No Contracts: Learn more about the Cattle Pro
Customize Bins and Feeders
Your drug mixer for animal feed should be able to accommodate all of your cattle feed ingredients, including both wet and dry ingredients. This means you should be able to customize your cattle feed mixer to suit the number of ingredients you’re working with, as well as the consistency of those ingredients, and the precision.
Understanding potential mixing issues or flow control problems can help you perfect your customizations, choose the right design, and eliminate any systems from your list that don’t meet your needs.
Weighing Instruments
Accuracy is critical when it comes to expensive micro ingredients. To find the right cattle feed mixer, you’ll need to look at the weighing instruments and their level of accuracy, as well as the bins and feeders.
The weighing instruments, whether loss-in-weight or gain-in-weight, must be able to measure your ingredients within the proper tolerances.
Cleaning and Modular Design
A cattle feed system may be efficient and effective, but it won’t end up saving much time if it can’t be easily cleaned. When talking with equipment suppliers, ask about the cleaning process, and what is required to effectively clean the system.
A modular design with removable conveyors and bins can help you clean the system faster.
Equipment Integration
Consider how your mineral mixer and cattle feed system will integrate with your other processes and other equipment. This might include the equipment or processes you use for loading and unloading ingredients, such as the use of super sacks. This might also include the equipment used for bringing the mixed feed to the feedlot.
With the right cattle feed mixer design, you can make all of these processes faster and easier.
Partner with the Right Equipment Supplier
Carefully considering the design, capabilities, and the supplier behind your equipment can help you find the right cattle feed mixer. Taking a bit of extra time at the outset will ensure that your system continues to save time, money, and energy well into the future.
Reach out to APEC today to find out how we can help you select the right cattle feed mixer for your needs.
