Find a recipe using what you have
Choose your U-MIX product, then select the raw materials you currently have available.
Before you continue - Mixing feed comes with responsibility
This recipe tool provides practical guidance based on U-MIX formulations and the raw materials you select. Please read and accept the following before using the tool:
- Recipe results depend on the raw materials selected and assume that ingredients are of suitable quality and correctly identified. You need to choose at least one ingredient from each category to get a match.
- Raw-material quality, nutrient composition, storage, particle size, weighing and mixing accuracy can affect feed quality and animal performance. If you need assistance, please contact us with questions.
- Animal performance can also be affected by health, water quality, housing, management, climate and other factors outside the recipe itself.
- This tool is intended as feeding guidance and does not replace veterinary advice or individual technical advice where this is required.
- U-MIX products and the recommended raw materials should be used and mixed according to the recipe and product instructions provided. All recipes provided are nutritionally balanced. By changing the quantities or materials in the recipe, the nutritional balance of the diet is lost. It is very important to follow the recipes as presented.
- Please ensure that you read through the "What do indicators mean?" section before selecting a feed.
- U-MIX cannot be held liable for any performance challenges or losses resulting from recipes altered by the farmer, or from management- or disease-related challenges or losses.
1. What feed are you making?
2. How many chicks are you feeding?
3. What raw materials do you have?
Select everything available to you. Having extra ingredients will not exclude a recipe.
Use only trusted, good-quality fishmeal that meets the 63% protein specification shown in the recipe.
Roasting is essential. Do not feed raw soybeans. Take care not to over or under roast the beans.
For Broiler Starter mash, aim for an average particle size of 2–4 mm, checked with a shaker sieve. A combination of finer and coarser particles within this range is recommended. White maize or yellow maize can be used.
Raw materials selected
Raw material warnings
Animals being fed
No flock size entered.
Recipes presented for Broiler Starter
The recipes below match the raw materials you selected. Where more than one recipe matches, recipes are ranked using the Overall Recipe Recommendation, which considers nutrient specification and ingredient suitability together. Up to five options are shown.
Recipes presented for Broiler Starter
Compatible recipes are ordered by Overall Recipe Recommendation: Preferred first, then Good Alternative, then Use With Caution. Nutrient specification and ingredient suitability are considered together. Up to five results are shown.
What do the indicators mean?
Overall Recipe Recommendation
This is the main farmer-facing recommendation. It considers Nutrient Specification and Ingredient Suitability together.
Preferred: The Standard Mix. This is the recipe likely to perform best when the required raw materials are available, and it is the recipe that has been used with the U-MIX product for the longest period of time.
Good Alternative: An alternative recipe with 3/3 Ingredient Suitability and an acceptable or better nutrient specification.
Use With Caution: This recipe can be used, but it is not considered an ideal formulation and is not highly recommended by animal nutritionists.
Nutrient Specification
This reflects how closely the formulation meets selected calculated nutrient specifications. It is not a prediction of animal performance and does not account for every nutritional factor.
★★★ Preferred specification: Closest to the preferred nutrient specification.
★★☆ Good specification: A good match to the target nutrient specification.
★☆☆ Acceptable specification: Within the acceptable nutrient specification range, but less preferred than higher-rated formulations.
Ingredient Suitability
This reflects the general suitability and expected digestibility of the raw materials used in the diet.
3 - Highly Suitable Ingredients: Mainly highly digestible raw materials expected to support consistent performance.
2 - Suitable Ingredients: The ingredients can be used, but the combination may be less digestible or may reduce nutrient utilisation. The overall recommendation will therefore be Use With Caution.
1 - Less Suitable Ingredients: Greater use of ingredients that may contain more fibre or antinutritional factors. The overall recommendation will therefore be Use With Caution.
Important: A high Nutrient Specification does not cancel out a lower Ingredient Suitability rating. The Overall Recipe Recommendation should be used when choosing between recipes.
What is the best recipe to use?
The Standard Mix is Preferred and is the recipe likely to perform best when you have the required raw materials available. It is also the recipe that has been used with the U-MIX product for the longest period of time.
Alternative recipes are classified as either Good Alternative or Use With Caution. The classification considers nutrient specification and ingredient suitability together.
Standard Mix
The Standard Mix is Preferred and is the recipe likely to perform best when you have the required raw materials available. It is also the recipe that has been used with the U-MIX product for the longest period of time. Alternative recipes are classified as Good Alternative or Use With Caution based on nutrient specification and ingredient suitability together.
Download your recipe options
Download a digital PDF containing your matched recipes, recommendations, feed calculations and U-MIX requirements.
Calculate my feed cost Swine feed cost estimate
Enter the price per kg for the raw materials you selected, and the price of one 3 kg U-MIX packet. No currency is shown, so you can use your local prices.
A lower-cost feed may require more feed, more time or additional production inputs to achieve the same result. Lower-performing feeds can reduce production efficiency and may introduce other production complications. Consider feed cost together with the Overall Recipe Recommendation, Nutrient Specification and Ingredient Suitability when choosing a recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Practical guidance for preparing and mixing your U-MIX feed.
What particle size is recommended for U-MIX mash?
| U-MIX product | Recommended average particle size |
|---|---|
| Broiler Starter | 2–4 mm |
| Broiler Grower | 2–4 mm |
| Layer | 3–5 mm |
| Swine | 1.5–2.5 mm |
Aim for an even mash and avoid both excessive fine powder and oversized pieces. Particle size can affect feed intake, mixing consistency and animal performance.
How should I check the particle size?
Hammer-mill screen size does not always equal the finished particle size. The result can vary with the mill, grain moisture and machine condition, so check the crushed material itself.
Should I use white maize or yellow maize?
Either white maize or yellow maize can be used in the U-MIX recipes. Choose clean, sound maize of consistent quality. Yellow maize contains more natural pigment and may produce more colour in egg yolks or poultry skin; maize colour on its own is not a measure of feed quality.
What is the difference between ME and SE soya?
ME soya is mechanically extracted, while SE soya is solvent extracted. Mechanically extracted soya normally retains more oil; solvent-extracted soya normally contains less residual oil. Nutrient values vary between suppliers.
For the Soya Oilcake / Soybean Meal option in this tool, use a product that meets the stated 44% protein specification. It may be ME or SE. Do not substitute it weight-for-weight with roasted full-fat soya unless the selected recipe specifically calls for roasted full-fat soya.
Why is the finished U-MIX feed a mash? Isn’t a pellet better?
U-MIX recipes are designed to be mixed on farm as a complete mash feed using commonly available raw materials and practical mixing equipment. Mash feed is generally cheaper to produce because it does not require pelleting.
Mash and pellets describe the physical form of the feed, not its nutritive value. The same correctly formulated and mixed feed can be presented as either mash or pellets. Turning it into a pellet does not automatically make it more nutritious.
Pellets are common in commercial systems with higher stocking densities because they can make feeding easier and may reduce feed wastage. However, pelleting adds processing costs to the feed.
For smallholder operations, a well-blended mash with the correct particle size can perform just as well. If the base feed mixture and nutrient composition are the same, there is no nutritional difference between the mash and pelleted forms.
How do I mix the feed?
Weigh every ingredient accurately and follow the quantities in your selected recipe. Watch the step-by-step mixing video before preparing the feed:
WATCH THE YOUTUBE VIDEOThe video opens on YouTube and requires an internet connection.