Function

The Pitstop^BASIS feeder is for giving animals an extra offer of mineral feed supplements, respecting that they are biological creatures with individual needs.

MicroFeeder Pitstop^BASIS is available in a model with a large mounting bracket that ensures long life of the feeder, and it has an in-build feed container with a volume of ca. 45 litres. It is for example mounted at a (semi) wall besides the water trough, thus not taking up any additional space.

The feeder is also available in a model with a small mounting bracket that makes it possible with mounting on a stanchion or fencing bars, both indoors and outdoors, for example in a pen. This version should maximally be filled with more than 15 kg / 10 litres of supplements.

The feeder is made of thick, durable and solid HDPE plastic.

The lid with a one-hand operated snap lock opens to the supplements container. Filling is easy with a bucket or a sack.

The entire form, design and angles of the feeder, including the fodder flap and the top lid, make the feeder closed. The feeder gives thus a good protection of the supplements against rain and other water as well as pollution with dung, and it keeps the supplements fresh and appetizing.

The feeder comes with necessary bolts for mounting on a (half) wall.

One feeder can serve around 25 animals indoors or 50 animals outdoors. The feeding hole has a size that only allows one animal at a time. The intake of the free-choice mineral supplements is typically 50-150 gram per animal per day, with variation and dependent on the mineral supplement type and the size of the animals.

The feeder is suitable for animals without horns.

Used e.g. for mineral mixtures, sodium bicarbonate, fodder salt or other supplements that are suitable for being allocated ad libitum:

Strategy for use of the Pitstop^BASIS feeder

The Pitstop^BASIS feeder is meant for giving access to extra mineral feed supplements according free-choice principles. Animals are biological beings with individual metabolism and therefore have different needs. Provided that free-choice mineral feed supplements are used, they can to some extent regulate the intake to suit their needs. Examples of strategies for use of the feeder are outlined in the following table:

Strategy	Requirements for grouping	Mineral feed types
Access to extra, high quality minerals for dairy cows during the critical period to ensure high immune status, productivity and health.	Cows with the highest need will have the highest consumption, ie. most often cows in the critical transition period around calving. It is best that the target cows are grouped separately if the mineral supplements are expensive, eg. dry cows the last weeks prior to calving or fresh milkers at the start of the lactation.	Close-up dry cows: For instance with content of natural selenium. Start-up lactating cows: For instance with content of yeast and organic micro-minerals. See a list of the most relevant feed additives here.
Access for dairy cows to extra minerals to reduce economic losses due to diseases.	Without importance. Cows with the highest need will have the highest consumption, ie. most often cows in the critical transition period around calving.	For instance mineral supplements of the same type as used in the Total Mixed Ration.
Access for dairy cows to basic minerals in herds that do not use complete feed mixers and which gives concentrates through milking robots or concentrate feeding stations.	Without importance. Cows with the highest need will have the highest consumption, ie. most often cows in the critical transition period around calving.	A mineral supplement whose composition matches the type of silage and the content of minerals in the basic feeds.
Access for dairy cows to extra salt in periods with warm weather to reduce the risk for heat stress and collapse of the immune system.	Without importance. Cows with the highest need will have the highest consumption, ie. most often cows in the critical transition period around calving.	Salt.
Access for dairy cows to extra buffer to avoid acidosis and associated diseases.	Without importance. Cows with the highest need will have the highest consumption, ie. most often cows in the critical transition period around calving.	Sodium bicarbonate. The rumination is very sensitive and for high yielding cows balancing on an edge due to a need for a high enegy concentration in their feed ration. Giving free access to buffer in the form of sodium bicarbonate can be relevant in periods with warm weather, feed change, or all the time. Cows do not eat more than they need to feel good as the taste of sodium bicarbonate is rather sharp.
Access to free-choice mineral feed supplements for heifers, slaughter calves and suckler cows	Usually housed in groups	A mineral mixture suitable for ensures optimal growth, fertility and health for the specific group of animals is used.

The allocation of minerals after the Pitstop^BASIS feeder concept is due to the effects associated with animal welfare, environment and resource economy. Free-choice supplementation is not a precise way and it cannot be hindered that cows eat of the minerals without needing them. However, free-choice supplementation will always be better than no supplementation, and practical observations shows a clear correlation between intake and need. Precise, individual and restricted extra mineral feed supplementation of dairy cows can be provided with the Pitstop^PLUS feeder.

Theoretical basis - dairy cows

Access to extra mineral supplements from a Pitstop^BASIS feeder ensures that cows can eat the minerals and vitamins they need according to their performance, despite a too low intake of the mixed feed ration.

It is well known that dairy cows’ feed intake is less than the requirements in the first app. 100 days after calving, also called the mobilization phase. Today, it is also widely acknowledged that the feed intake falls below needs already two-three weeks before calving, as the foetus grows exponentially up to calving while milk production starts and the cow's appetite decreases.

Dairy cows’ problem in the critical period is that they cannot eat enough of their feed ration, no matter how super-optimised it is and how good the fodder quality is. The ration is simply too filling, while cows’ desire for water and minerals doesn’t go down in the period, as the cows feel a need for these things and apparently can sense that it do them well.

It is a long part of the way okay that cows eat too little of their feed ration for a period because they are able to mobilise energy from their body, but it is not okay with regard to micro minerals and vitamins for which their body stores are extremely limited. Undersupply with micro minerals and vitamins is a major reason for the unwanted clinical and subclinical conditions with negative effects for the production, reproduction and health almost queuing up to be expressed in the critical period, resulting in large economic losses.

Clinical or subclinical outbreak of loss-causing conditions such as acidosis, digital dermatitis or retained placenta, will easily cost 20-25 per cent of the gross margin for the cow in the given lactation, and losses are of course bigger for cows that die.

In line with this, the performance and gross margin is lifted throughout the entire lactation for cows that are managed to go smoothly through the critical period.

Access to extra mineral supplements from a Pitstop^BASIS feeder ensures that cows can eat the minerals and vitamins they need according to their performance, despite a too low intake of the mixed feed ration.

Technichal details*

* For the Pitstop^GRAZING version, the information in the table applies as stated for a Pitstop^BASIS version with a small suspension bracket, as the post to mount it on must be taken into account.