How to Read a Milk Replacer Tag
Not all milk replacers are created equally. It’s important to understand what’s in the bag to be sure the product fits the farm’s objectives when it comes to growing calves. Milk replacer tags are written in a fairly standard format, but can be somewhat confusing to end users.
Product Description
At the top of the tag, there is usually a general description of what the product contains in terms of protein and fat, as well as medications or additives. For the example below, 22 is the percent of protein, 20 is the percent fat, “BOVA” means Bovatec, “BIOMOS” is a branded additive, and “DFB” means fly control. Here are some of the more common abbreviations that you might see on a tag:
Proteins and fats:
AM – Usually means “all milk” – milk ingredients are the only protein sources.
PB – Protein blend – may contain plant, plasma, and/or egg protein sources.
P or Plasma – Blood plasma – protein source.
W&P – Wheat and plasma – protein sources.
SPC – Soy protein concentrate – protein source.
SI – Soy isolate – protein source.
CO or C-oil – Coconut oil – fat source.
Medications:
BOVA – Bovatec® (lasalocid sodium) - medication to control coccidiosis.
DX – Deccox® (decoquinate) - medication to control coccidiosis.
NT – Neo-Terramycin® (neomycin-oxytetracycline) - for treatment of scours caused by E. coli and salmonella.
Additives:
DFB – diflubenzuron, the active ingredient in ClariFly® Larvicide for feed-through fly control.
BIO or BIOMOS – Bio-Mos® - a branded product containing mannanoligosaccharides.
MOS – general term for non-branded mannanoligosaccharides.
EO – essential oils.
Apex – brand name of a combination of essential oils.
DFM – direct-fed microbials.
Ingredients
Ingredients are supposed to be listed in descending order. Proteins and fats are usually first, followed by vitamins, minerals, and other additives. Many of the ingredient names are self-explanatory, but others are not easily recognized. Here is a general breakdown by category of ingredients that might be listed.
Proteins:
Dried Whey, Dried Whey Protein Concentrate, Dried Whey Product, Dried Whey Permeate – milk-based ingredients derived from the manufacturing of cheese.
Dried Skim Milk, Nonfat Dry Milk.
Spray-dried Plasma.
Modified Soy Protein, Soy Isolate, Soy Flour – derived from soybean processing.
Wheat Gluten, Wheat Isolate – derived from wheat processing.
l-Lysine and dl-Methionine – supplemental amino acids.
Fats:
Lard – pork fat.
Tallow – beef fat.
Coconut Oil.
Vegetable Oil – soybean, canola, cottonseed, etc. Usually used to thin emulsifiers and not a significant source of fat.
Vitamins:
Vitamin A Acetate; Vitamin D3 Supplement; and Vitamin E Supplement – sources of vitamins A, D, &E.
Ascorbic Acid – source of Vitamin C.
Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex – source of Vitamin K3.
Thiamine Mononitrate – source of Vitamin B1.
Riboflavin – source of Vitamin B2.
Niacinamide – source of Vitamin B3.
d-Calcium Pantothenate – source of Vitamin B5.
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride – source of Vitamin B6.
Biotin – source of Vitamin B7.
Folic Acid – source of Vitamin B9.
Vitamin B12 Supplement – source of Vitamin B12.
Choline Chloride – source of Vitamin B18.
Minerals:
Dicalcium Phosphate – source of calcium and phosphorus.
Calcium Carbonate – source of calcium.
Mineral Proteinates [Copper, Manganese, Zinc, Iron, Cobalt] – organic forms of trace minerals that are generally considered more bioavailable to the animal.
Mineral Sulfates or Mineral Oxides [Copper, Manganese, Zinc, Iron (Ferrous), Magnesium, Cobalt] – inorganic forms of trace minerals.
Calcium Iodate – source of iodine.
Selenium Yeast – organic form of selenium.
Other Ingredients
Yeast Primary Dehydrated – usually the source of MOS.
Dried Brewer’s Yeast – another source of MOS.
Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium, Bifidobacterium bifidum – sources of direct-fed microbials.
Sodium Silica Aluminate – flow agent.
Polyoxyethylene Glycol (400) – surfactant to improve solubility.
Lecithin, Monoleates, and Dioleates – emulsifiers used to help milk replacer mix well.
Natural and/or Artificial Flavors – used to add aroma and taste to milk replacer.
BHT – Butylated hydroxytoluene, an antioxidant used to prevent rancidity of fats.
Bovatec® is a registered trademark of Zoetis Services LLC.
Deccox® is a registered trademark of Zoetis Inc.
Neo-Terramycin® is a registered trademark of Pfizer, Inc., licensed to Phibro Animal Health Corporation.
ClariFly® is a registered trademark of Wellmark International.
Bio-Mos® is a registered trademark of Alltech, Inc.
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