Upgrading Your Feeding Routine: Monitoring, Farm-Scale Sensors and Feed Timing
Before buying new feeders or changing feed, record when feed is delivered to animals, how much is refused and how bin levels move. A two-week log usually shows whether the issue is timing, access or the feed itself.
Short answer · Updated October 2026
Short answer: Upgrading Your Feeding Routine: Monitoring, Farm-Scale Sensors and Feed Timing
Short answer: Before buying new feeders or changing feed, record when feed is delivered to animals, how much is refused and how bin levels move. A two-week log usually shows whether the issue is timing, access or the feed itself.
Key takeaways
- This guide is a two-week audit of your current feeding routine, plus questions to ask before buying farm-scale monitoring such as bin level sensors, feeder scales or automatic feeders.
- - Feeding times and amounts per group - Refusals, leftovers or uneaten feed - Bin or silo levels, read at the same time each day - Water availability and any feeder faults - Notes on weather, stocking changes and health events
- 1. Log every feeding for two weeks without changing anything.
- A dairy group is offered 1,000 kg per day and 80 kg is pushed out uneaten.
- - No scale for refusals: use a bucket count with a weighed bucket.
FeedMatch Editorial Desk
Editorial Team
Short answer: Before buying new feeders or changing feed, record when feed is delivered to animals, how much is refused and how bin levels move. A two-week log usually shows whether the issue is timing, access or the feed itself.
What this guide helps you do
This guide is a two-week audit of your current feeding routine, plus questions to ask before buying farm-scale monitoring such as bin level sensors, feeder scales or automatic feeders.
Which farm records do you need?
- Feeding times and amounts per group
- Refusals, leftovers or uneaten feed
- Bin or silo levels, read at the same time each day
- Water availability and any feeder faults
- Notes on weather, stocking changes and health events
How do you work through it, step by step?
- Log every feeding for two weeks without changing anything.
- Weigh or estimate refusals daily.
- Compare feed offered with planned ration and with bin level change.
- Mark days with faults, heat or other events.
- Change one thing at a time (timing, access, amount) and log again.
- Only then decide whether sensors or equipment would answer a real question.
Worksheet
| Date | Group | Time | Offered (kg) | Refused (kg) | Bin level | Notes |
|---|
Worked example (hypothetical)
A dairy group is offered 1,000 kg per day and 80 kg is pushed out uneaten. Refusals are 8% of feed offered. Logging shows most refusals on days the second feeding was late. *All figures are invented for illustration. Use your own records; this is not a benchmark or target.*
What if some data is missing?
- No scale for refusals: use a bucket count with a weighed bucket.
- No bin readings: mark the bin wall and read daily.
- Several people feed: one shared log sheet at the feed store.
- No planned ration on paper: ask your nutritionist to write it down before you compare.
Where to go next
Use the FCR and feed cost calculator, the landed cost calculator and the traceability readiness checklist.
Ready to buy against your own numbers? Send a feed RFQ with species, stage, volume, specification and delivery window. Free for buyers, no obligation; assisted sourcing applies to B2B requirements of about USD 250,000 or more.
Farm data series: How to Analyse Your Farm's Feed History · Reducing Feed Waste on the Farm · Estimating FCR and Feed Cost per Unit from the Farm Reports You Already Have · Planning Future Feed Purchases
Sources and limits
- FAO/IFIF Good Practices for the Feed Sector (2010)
- FeedMatch does not formulate feed or give veterinary advice, and does not guarantee savings, FCR or output. Confirm nutrition decisions with a qualified nutritionist.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need sensors to improve feeding?
- Not to start. A paper log often answers the first questions; buy sensors for a specific question you cannot answer otherwise.
- How long should I log before changing anything?
- About two weeks, so normal day-to-day variation is visible.
- What should I ask a feeder or sensor supplier?
- What it measures, accuracy, maintenance, power and data access, and whether you can trial it.
- Can FeedMatch source farm feeding equipment?
- Yes, for farm-scale feed preparation and feeding equipment through the RFQ; we do not install or operate it.
Feed industry regions we work with
Feed procurement is local before it is global: raw material basis, freight and installation costs change by region. These are the areas buyers most often name when defining a feed project in English.
United States
Cities and provinces
Iowa · Nebraska · Georgia · Arkansas · Texas · North Carolina
Corn and soybean meal basis with large integrated poultry, swine and dairy operations.
United States →United Kingdom and Ireland
Cities and provinces
East Anglia · Yorkshire · Lincolnshire · Northern Ireland · Munster
Compound feed and imported protein logistics through east coast and Irish Sea ports.
United Kingdom and Ireland →Gulf and East Africa import markets
Cities and provinces
Jeddah · Dubai · Mombasa · Djibouti
Import-driven feed supply where landed cost and port logistics dominate the decision.
Gulf and East Africa import markets →FeedMatch is supplier-neutral. Regional context helps define the requirement; pricing always comes from manufacturer quotations.