Dairy Meal Formulation Calculator: Make Your Own Dairy Meal
Tick the ingredients you can get, enter what they cost, and this calculator finds the cheapest dairy meal that meets the standard: at least 16% crude protein for everyday dairy meal, 18% for high-yielder meal or calf starter, with enough energy and not too much fibre or fat.
Checked 20 Oct 2026 against the sources listed below.
1. What are you feeding?
2. How much?
Poor: dry stover. Medium: Napier or hay. Good: fresh Napier with legumes.
3. What do you have?
Tick what you can buy or already have, and what it costs you per kg in KES. Prices are typical Nairobi prices: change them to yours.
Energy feeds
Grains and brans: the bulk of the mix.
Protein feeds
Cakes, soya, fish and insects: for growth, eggs and milk.
Minerals
For bones, shells and appetite.
4. Prices to compare
Your dairy meal formula
We'll find the cheapest mix of your ingredients that meets the published standard for dairy meal, then show what you save.
Built on published data from Feedipedia, KALRO, ILRI and breed company guides. We're not nutritionists or vets; if you're unsure, check the formula with your vet.
The full explanation, with worked examples and what to watch for: How to Make Dairy Meal at Home in Kenya: 16% Mix and Feeding Guide
About this tool
It also tells you how much to feed for your cow's milk yield. The preview is free; a small M-Pesa payment unlocks the exact kilos for your batch, the feeding guide and a PDF.
Example: maize germ, wheat bran and cotton seed cake make a 16% dairy meal, plus the dairy mineral and salt every mix gets.
How to make dairy meal at home
Dairy meal is a concentrate: it tops up the energy and protein that forage alone can't give a milking cow. A home-made dairy meal is a blend of:
- Energy feeds: maize germ, wheat pollard, wheat bran, maize bran or maize.
- Protein feeds: cotton seed cake, sunflower cake, soybean meal, or a little omena or fishmeal.
- A dairy mineral (such as Maclick Super) and salt.
The standard to aim for is about 16% crude protein for everyday dairy meal. ILRI puts commercial dairy meal at 15–18% crude protein, and KALRO's training manual gives 16.5% (of dry matter) for dairy meal and 18% for high-yielder meal.
KALRO's manual shows the classic hand method, the Pearson square: you balance the protein of cotton seed cake (about 35%) against maize germ (about 10.6%) to land on 16%. That works for two ingredients and one nutrient. This calculator does the same job for every ingredient you have at once, while also checking energy, fibre and fat, and it picks the cheapest combination.
How much dairy meal to feed a cow
The usual rule, from ILRI's guide to homemade concentrates, is about 1 kg of dairy meal for every 2–3 litres of milk above what her forage supports. Good forage (fresh Napier with legumes) supports more milk on its own; poor forage (dry stover) supports almost none.
- Split the day's dairy meal into two or more feeds, at milking. One big feed upsets the rumen.
- Change from bought feed to your own mix over 7–10 days.
- Give clean water all day.
When you enter your cow's milk yield and forage quality, the calculator turns this into a starting amount per cow.
Which feeds make a good dairy meal
| Ingredient | What it adds | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maize germ | Energy | Smell it: old germ goes rancid. |
| Wheat pollard | Energy and some protein | Finer and richer than bran. |
| Wheat bran | Energy, fibre | Bulky; fine for cows in moderation. |
| Cotton seed cake | Protein (about 35%) | The classic East African dairy protein. |
| Sunflower cake | Protein, fibre | Good value where there's a local press. |
| Soybean meal | Protein (about 44%) | For high-yielder meal and calf starter. |
| Dairy mineral | Calcium, phosphorus, trace minerals | Added at 2% in every mix. |
Is it cheaper to make your own dairy meal?
Not always, and the calculator will tell you honestly. Nairobi price lists in 2026 put a 70 kg bag of dairy meal at about KES 2,300–2,800 (around KES 38 a kilo), while retail maize germ alone was about KES 37 a kilo. At those prices, a home mix from bought ingredients can cost more than the bag. ILRI's guide says farmers can save over 30% by mixing their own from cheaper local ingredients, and it pays when you:
- grow your own maize or buy germ and bran straight from the miller;
- have a local source of cotton seed or sunflower cake;
- want a high-yielder meal, which costs more to buy.
The other reason is quality. The Kenya Veterinary Policy 2020 calls substandard feeds "a major constraint" on productivity. When you mix your own, you know the protein is really there.
What never to feed cows
- Bone meal or meat and bone meal. Kenyan regulations (2001) ban ruminant meat and bone products in cattle feed, because of mad cow disease (BSE). The calculator never uses them for dairy.
- Mouldy feed. Aflatoxin passes into milk.
- Urea, unless an expert designs the ration: too much is fatal, so this calculator doesn't use it.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best dairy meal formula?
The best formula is the cheapest one that reaches about 16% crude protein with enough energy, made from ingredients you can get. A common Kenyan base is maize germ or pollard with cotton seed cake, plus 2% dairy mineral and 1% salt. The calculator works out the exact proportions for your ingredients and prices.
How do I make 16% dairy meal from maize germ and cotton seed cake?
Mostly maize germ with a smaller share of cotton seed cake, balanced with the Pearson square, plus 2% dairy mineral and 1% salt. Because maize germ quality varies, the calculator uses a conservative protein figure for it and gives the exact kilos for your batch.
How much dairy meal should a cow giving 15 litres get?
About 1 kg for every 2–3 litres above what her forage supports. On medium forage that's roughly 4–5 kg a day for a cow giving 15 litres, split between milkings. Adjust to her milk and body condition.
What is high-yielder dairy meal?
A richer dairy meal, at about 18% crude protein and higher energy, for cows giving over about 15 litres a day or in early lactation. The calculator makes it from your ingredients when you choose "High-yielder meal".
Is the formula safe to use?
It's calculated from published sources (KALRO, ILRI and Feedipedia) and checked against minimum protein and energy and maximum fibre and fat. We are not nutritionists or vets, and ingredient quality varies, so if you're unsure, show the formula to your vet or a livestock extension officer first.