{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Rice straw and bran can make a lower-cost animal feed at home, Poonam Soren explains the ratio",
  "summary": "Dairy farmers can prepare a balanced ration at home from bran, rice straw, pulse husk and mineral mixture. Poonam Soren says the feed may improve milk yield and thickness, but its quantity should match each animal and be introduced gradually.",
  "content": "Dairy farmers looking to reduce their monthly spending on costly market feed can prepare a balanced ration at home using ingredients that are already available. Dr. Poonam Soren, principal associate veterinarian at Devghar Krishi Vigyan Kendra, has outlined a method that combines bran and rice straw with pulse husk and mineral mixture. The approach can help control feed costs while also addressing the nutritional needs of milk-producing animals.\n\nReducing dependence on costly market feed\nBuying expensive grain and prepared animal feed from the market creates a substantial expense every month. Using ingredients available at home can ease that burden, but a ration should not be assembled with low cost as its only consideration. Each component must be added in the right amount for the animal. The mixture described by Soren can be prepared as a home feed for both dairy cows and buffaloes.\n\nThe ingredients and their proportions\nThe formula uses rice straw at about 25 percent and bran at 10 percent. Mineral mixture should make up about 20 percent, while pulse husk should be taken in an appropriate amount. No fixed percentage has been set for pulse husk, so it should be adjusted according to the stated proportions. Rock salt may also be added as needed.\n\n• Rice straw: About 25 percent of the mixture.\n• Bran: 10 percent.\n• Mineral mixture: About 20 percent.\n• Pulse husk: An appropriate amount.\n\nAll the ingredients should be blended thoroughly before the feed is offered to a cow or buffalo. The proportions should not be applied unchanged to every animal. When deciding the total quantity, farmers must consider the animal's health and milk-producing capacity along with its age and weight.\n\nPotential effect on milk yield and thickness\nThe purpose of this ration is not merely to fill the animal's stomach. Adequate nutrition can affect the health and milk production of a dairy animal. Soren says a balanced feed may help increase milk yield. It may also make the milk thicker, which can be seen as an improvement in quality. Farmers should therefore avoid relying only on green fodder or straw and should prepare the mixture around the animal's needs.\n\nIntroduce the new feed gradually\nThe most important precaution is not to begin any new feed in a large quantity. The amount should be increased little by little. During this period, milk production and the animal's health should be monitored. A gradual transition makes it possible to observe the effect of the change and help the animal become accustomed to the new mixture. Sufficient clean water must also be available alongside the feed.\n\nGreen and dry fodder remain necessary\nA home-prepared mixture does not remove the basic need for fodder. The animal should receive enough clean water, green fodder and dry fodder. These three elements form the basis of daily care, while the balanced ration helps meet nutritional requirements.\n\nWhen specialist advice is needed\nIf an animal already has an illness, is pregnant or produces a very high amount of milk, farmers should seek advice from a veterinarian or animal nutrition specialist before deciding the quantity and composition of the feed. Specialist guidance is specifically advised in these three situations. With the correct amount and balance, a home-prepared ration can be a useful way to support animal nutrition and milk production, but the quantity must follow the individual animal's condition.\n\nWhat this means for you\nThe biggest practical effect will be on monthly spending for animal feed and the animal's daily nutrition.\n\n• Across India: Dairy farmers can make a balanced ration from ingredients available at home. This offers a way to reduce spending on costly market feed while keeping animal nutrition in view.\n• In Devghar: Local farmers can use the mixture described by Poonam Soren, with rice straw, bran, mineral mixture and pulse husk. Its quantity should be set according to age, weight, milk-producing capacity and health.\n• Gradual transition: Do not introduce the new feed in a large amount at once. Increase it slowly while monitoring the animal's health and milk production.\n• Special cases: Animals that are ill, pregnant or producing a very high amount of milk need advice from a veterinarian or animal nutrition specialist. They should also receive enough clean water, green fodder and dry fodder.\n\nWhy this happened\nThis guidance addresses two linked problems: costly market feed and the nutritional needs of dairy animals. Farmers are advised to go beyond only green fodder or straw because the goal is to provide a balanced ration. The total amount must also follow the condition of each animal.\n\n• Monthly expense: Buying expensive grain and animal feed from the market creates a substantial cost every month. Using ingredients available at home offers a way to reduce that burden.\n• Nutritional balance: The purpose of the feed is not only to fill the animal's stomach but also to supply necessary nutrients. Bran, rice straw, pulse husk and mineral mixture are combined to create that balance.\n• Individual needs: The right quantity depends on age, weight, milk-producing capacity and health. A single amount therefore cannot be treated as suitable for every cow or buffalo.\n• Time for change: The new feed should not be started suddenly in a large quantity. Its amount should be increased gradually while health and milk production are monitored.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. What ingredients are used to make the feed at home?\nBran and rice straw are combined with pulse husk and mineral mixture. Rock salt may also be added as needed.\n\n2. What ratio should be used for rice straw, bran and mineral mixture?\nRice straw can make up about 25 percent, bran 10 percent and mineral mixture about 20 percent.\n\n3. How much pulse husk should be used?\nPulse husk should be taken in an appropriate amount. No separate fixed percentage has been set for it.\n\n4. Should every cow and buffalo receive the same quantity of feed?\nNo. The quantity should consider the animal's age, weight, health and milk-producing capacity.\n\n5. Can the new feed be started immediately in a large quantity?\nThe new feed should not be introduced suddenly in a large amount. Increase it gradually while monitoring the animal's health and milk production.\n\n6. What else must the animal receive besides this mixture?\nThe animal should receive enough clean water, green fodder and dry fodder.\n\n7. How can the balanced feed affect milk?\nIt may help increase the quantity of milk. It may also improve the milk's thickness, meaning its quality.\n\n8. Which animals need specialist advice?\nAnimals that are ill, pregnant or producing a very high amount of milk should receive advice from a veterinarian or animal nutrition specialist.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/jharkhand/chavala-ke-bhuse-aura-darre-se-ghara-para-banega-kama-kharcha-vala-pashu-ahara-poonam-soren-ne-bataya-anupata-32614",
  "category": "Jharkhand",
  "publishedAt": "2026-09-16",
  "tags": [
    "animal feed",
    "dairy farming",
    "homemade feed formula",
    "milk production",
    "animal nutrition",
    "Devghar Krishi Vigyan Kendra"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}