1. Introduction

According to the National Statistics Office of Mongolia, average annual consumption of milk and dairy products was reported as 11 L per person in 2024, with average annual consumption of 8.2 L among urban residents and 14.4 L among rural residents [1].

As of 2024, Mongolia had approximately 249,500 herder households, about 200 dairy processing workshops and factories, and 57.6 million head of livestock. The 2024 livestock census recorded approximately 5.07 million cattle nationally [2]. At the beginning of 2024, the National Statistics Office reported approximately 2.19 million breeding cows [3]. Because this official category refers to breeding cows rather than dairy-only cows, it should not be interpreted as the national dairy-cow population. Low dairy productivity in Mongolia is associated with seasonal feed shortages, nutritionally unbalanced rations, limited feed-processing capacity, inadequate feeding management, and suboptimal housing and husbandry conditions, which can limit cows from expressing their production potential [4].

Total mixed rations are widely used to improve nutrient supply and milk production in dairy cows. TMR feeding reduces selective consumption of individual ingredients and can improve nutrient balance, intake, feed-use efficiency, and rumen stability [5,6,7].

Balancing dairy cow rations according to nutrient requirements, chopping feed ingredients, and preparing them as a TMR can reduce feed wastage and improve the uniformity of nutrient intake. TMR can also facilitate the use of forage crops, crop residues, and agro-industrial by-products in balanced diets [5,6].

Milk yield varies with lactation stage, feeding level, and other management factors. Therefore, small dairy farms need practical approaches that use locally available feed resources, balance them with compound feed and minerals, and offer them as a uniform TMR. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a locally formulated TMR on feed intake, milk yield, milk chemical composition, and feed-related economic efficiency in Alatau dairy cows.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Experimental Animal Design

The experiment was conducted for 45 days at the “Bayan Tolgoi” cooperative in Batsumber Soum, Tuv Aimag, Mongolia. Eight clinically healthy Alatau cows were selected and allocated to two groups (n = 4 cows/group) after matching for body weight. The control group received the farm’s conventional ration, in which feed ingredients were offered separately. The experimental group received the newly formulated TMR in accordance with VSBMR-2026/23 on March 30, 2026. The cows were 5 years old, had an average live weight of 450 kg, produced approximately 16 L of milk per day before the trial, and were 70 days postpartum. Feed offered, feed remaining after the daily feeding period, feed consumed, daily milk yield, and feed and milk chemical composition were determined during the study.

2.2. TMR Preparation

The experimental ration was formulated from the farm’s existing feed resources as the main ingredients and balanced by adding a dairy-cow compound feed and mineral premix. “Suun Shim” powdered compound feed, manufactured by Mind-Tech LLC, was used as the concentrate source, and “Mimo” mineral premix was included at 3% of the ration (Table 1). Roughage ingredients were chopped to approximately 2 cm and thoroughly mixed with the concentrate and mineral premix to produce a uniform TMR. The control ration consisted of green fodder, hay, wheat bran, and salt, offered separately. In this study, TMR was defined as a balanced ration formulated according to the nutritional requirements of lactating cows using locally available ingredients, in which roughages were chopped to approximately 2 cm and thoroughly mixed with all other ingredients to produce a uniform feed mixture.

2.3. Sample Analysis

Feed samples were collected from representative portions of the feed offered and feed remaining after feeding. Sampling and preparation of animal-feed test samples followed ISO 6497:2002 and ISO 6498:2012 [8,9]. Moisture and other volatile matter were determined by the gravimetric procedure of ISO 6496:1999 [10]. Crude ash was determined according to ISO 5984:2022 [11]. Crude protein was determined by the Kjeldahl procedure according to ISO 5983-1:2005 [12]. Crude fiber was determined according to ISO 6865:2000 [13]. Amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber (NDF) was determined using an ANKOM fiber analyzer following ISO 16472:2006 [14]. Crude fat was determined by solvent extraction according to ISO 6492:1999 [15]. Laboratory measurements were conducted using routine quality-control procedures, including appropriate calibration and analytical blanks where applicable. Milk chemical composition was evaluated against the requirements for raw cow’s milk specified in MNS 4228:2011 [16]. Milk chemical composition was analyzed using mid-infrared spectrometry following ISO 9622:2013 guidelines. Metabolizable energy was estimated by calculation. Organic matter digestibility was estimated from crude fiber content in feed dry matter using the equation k = 90.1 − 0.88 × X for ruminants. Nutritive value was evaluated using the rapid method described by Gendaram et al. [17].

2.4. Economic Analysis

The amount of feed offered and remaining after feeding was weighed daily and recorded in a dedicated logbook. From the beginning of the trial, representative samples (approximately 10% of the collected feed material) of offered and remaining feeds were collected following the sampling principles of ISO 6497:2002 [8]. At the end of the trial, remaining feeds were pooled separately for each cow and analyzed using the chemical methods described above. Economic efficiency was calculated from feed intake, feed price per kilogram, monthly milk income, and feed expenditure. Monthly milk income was calculated from average daily milk yield × 30 days × milk price. Costs other than feed were not included.

2.5. Statistical Analysis

Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 16.0 for Windows (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Between-group differences were evaluated using two-tailed tests, with statistical significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Results are presented as means ± standard error of the mean (SEM) where applicable.

3. Results and Discussion

Determination of feed chemical composition provided the basis for evaluating nutrient supply and comparing the formulated TMR with the conventional farm ration. The principal feed and production results are presented below.

According to Table 2 hay and green fodder contained 5.1–6.4% crude protein and 19.9–36.7% crude fiber. Pelleted compound feed contained 14.25% crude protein and approximately 7.10% crude fiber, while the “Suun Shim” powdered compound feed contained 16.0% crude protein and 5.69% crude fiber. Estimated organic matter digestibility was 72.5% for green fodder, 57.8% for hay, 83.5% for pelleted compound feed, 85.0% for powdered compound feed, and 83.4% for fermented bran. Metabolizable energy values were 10.24, 8.96, 12.95, 13.18, and 12.0 MJ, respectively.

The experimental cows consumed 94.3% of the TMR, whereas cows in the control group consumed 88.1% of the conventional farm ration (Table 3). In the control group, feed ingredients were offered separately, and the cows left coarse stem portions of hay and green fodder. This selective feeding explains the lower intake rate compared with the TMR group.

Milk yield of Alatau dairy cows during peak lactation period shown in Table 4. During peak lactation, milk yield of TMR-fed cows increased from 8.13 to 15.60 L/day, while milk yield of control cows increased from 8.10 to 9.60 L/day. The increase from the beginning to the end of the trial was therefore 7.47 L/day in the TMR group and 1.50 L/day in the control group, a difference of 5.97 L/day between groups. These findings indicate that balancing locally available feeds with protein and minerals, chopping roughage, and uniformly mixing all ingredients can increase milk yield.

Milk chemical composition values for the control and TMR groups are descriptive; no inferential statistical comparison was performed.

No inferential statistical analysis was performed for these values; therefore, no p-values are reported. The Standard column presents reference ranges for raw cow’s milk based on MNS 4228:2011 [16]. Milk fat, protein, and mineral contents were generally within or close to the applicable reference ranges, whereas the reported solids-not-fat value was above the listed range (Table 5).

3.1. Economic Efficiency

Daily feed cost was MNT 11,680 for a control cow and MNT 13,280 for a cow in the experimental group. Thus, the experimental ration cost MNT 1,600 more per cow per day, primarily because a high-protein, purpose-formulated compound feed was used to balance the ration (Tables 6 and 7).

As shown in Table 8 monthly milk production was 288.6 L in the control group and 470.4 L in the TMR group. Corresponding monthly milk income was MNT 577,200 and MNT 940,800, respectively.

Based on the difference between monthly income and feed expenditure, estimated profit was MNT 226,800 per cow in the control group and approximately MNT 547,200–547,260 per cow in the experimental group (Table 9). Although feed cost was lower in the control group, profit was also lower because milk yield was substantially reduced. Costs other than feed were not included in this calculation.

4. Discussion

Preparing and feeding a TMR enables dairy cows to receive required nutrients in a balanced manner [18]. TMR feeding can reduce feed wastage, stabilize the rumen environment, and improve intake, digestibility, and overall nutritive value [5,6,7].

TMR is a feeding technology designed to improve nutrient utilization, productivity, and economic efficiency in cattle [5,19]. Previous studies have shown that well-mixed TMR can reduce feed sorting and improve the consistency of nutrient intake, while milk yield can increase relative to separate feeding [5,6]. Because Mongolia has long cold seasons and limited feed reserves, TMR technology may be particularly useful for improving feed palatability, nutrient utilization, and dairy productivity.

Compressing TMR into briquettes may provide additional advantages, including longer storage life, reduced storage space, more efficient feed distribution, and lower feed refusal [19,20]. This potential is relevant to Mongolia, although briquetting itself was not evaluated in the present study.

Previous Mongolian studies have reported positive responses to improved dairy-cow rations. Khashbat reported a 20.2% increase in milk yield, while Oyunjargal reported a 21% increase. In the present study, end-of-trial milk yield was 6.0 L/day higher in the TMR group than in the control group [21,22]. The direction of response was therefore consistent with previous Mongolian research, although ration composition and experimental conditions differed.

Sangajav reported that a hay-and-compound-feed ration increased average daily milk yield by 4.12 L, while Solongo reported milk yield of 13.6 L with a hay-and-compound-feed ration. In the present study, milk yield in the TMR group reached 15.60 L/day at the end of the trial [23,24]. These results support the practical value of balancing locally available feeds according to nutrient requirements and offering them as a uniform mixture.

Munkhjargal reported a 34% increase in milk yield when cows were fed hay, sprouted barley, and pelleted feed. The present study showed a similarly positive response to a balanced TMR, although the experimental design and ration composition differed [25].

5. Conclusion

Dairy cows consumed 94.3% of the TMR, compared with 88.1% of the conventional farm ration in the control group.

During peak lactation, milk yield in the TMR group increased from 8.13 to 15.60 L/day, whereas milk yield in the control group increased from 8.10 to 9.60 L/day. The difference between the changes in the two groups was 5.97 L/day over the 45-day trial.

Milk fat, protein, and mineral contents were generally within or close to the applicable milk quality reference ranges. Table 5 values were descriptive and were not subjected to inferential statistical testing.

Based on the difference between monthly milk income and feed costs, estimated profit was MNT (Mongolian tugrug) 226,800 per cow in the control group and MNT 547,260 per cow in the TMR group.