How can molasses be used as a feed additive for ruminants?

The importance of molasses as an essential and vital ingredient for animal feeds, either for poultry or swine, cannot be overstated. Molasses is a by-product of sugar manufacturing, which undergoes several procedures to turn sugarcane into a liquid form. We have already talked about the nutrients readily available in molasses that can be taken by animals. Molasses also contains potassium, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and iron, which are essential for animal body activities and development. Yet, some farmers have no idea how to use molasses as a feed additive for ruminants and its proper application. For safety reasons, molasses ad libitum is not recommended for all animals as they can suffer from molasses toxicity and bloating; the restrictive amount should be followed as much as possible.

According to S. Senthilkumar et al. (2016), the ideal amount of molasses to be added to complete diets for dairy cows is up to 3kg per head per day. Whereas, in beef cattle, including young stocks and sheep, up to 10 percent of molasses could be added to their daily ration. 10% is a safe dose of molasses as a feed additive for ruminants.

All or most of the farmers use foliage, grass, or hay as feed for their ruminants as it is cheaper than readily mixed feeds. The availability and nutritional capacity of grass and foliage help farmers to continuously generate income despite the long-term harvesting of ruminant animals. Many local backyard raisers in the Philippines do not know how to utilize molasses as a feed additive to hay, foliage, or grasses for their animals. The direct application of molasses is an effective and ideal way for good farming practice. However, direct application does not mean through drinking but as a mixture for foliage or hay. As we all know, molasses is a sticky liquid, which means it is hard to mix directly with hay or foliage. Before adding molasses to your hay or foliage, dilute it in a 1:1 ratio of water to molasses or a 2:1 ratio of water to molasses for even distribution of molasses to the hay or foliage.

Some farmers practice a so-called fermentation process to utilize the power of molasses mixtures in foliage. The benefit of this is to increase the palatability of foliage and its nutritional value.