Animal Feed and Licks in Potchefstroom

Buying feed around Potch

Potch Veevoere supply feed, licks and mineral blocks to smallholders and farmers around Potchefstroom, and they load bulk orders onto your bakkie while you wait. They open earlier than most — half past seven on weekdays — which suits a run into town before the day starts.

Licks, bales and mash do different jobs

• Production and winter licks supplement what the veld is short of. On dry North West grazing that is usually protein, and a lick is what turns low-grade winter grass into something an animal can actually use.
• Lucerne is roughage and protein in one, and the fallback when grazing runs out. Judge a bale by its colour and smell, not its size — green and sweet, never musty or dusty.
• Layer mash is a complete feed for laying hens, formulated with the calcium they need for shells. It is not a scratch mix and it is not a grower feed.

Storing it so it lasts

Feed is a bulk purchase that goes to waste fast if it is stored badly. Keep bags off the floor and out of direct sun, keep bales dry and under cover, and rotate oldest to the front. Damp feed grows mould, and mouldy feed is worse than no feed.

Buy to a plan rather than to a price. A season's worth bought cheap and stored badly is more expensive than monthly runs into Potch.