Feed Glossary

The Feed Glossary provides quick explanations of common FeedComp terms and concepts. If you're unsure how a feature works or want to better understand a feeding-related topic, start here and follow the links to learn more.

An alternate recipe is a backup recipe that can temporarily replace a primary recipe when it can’t be made, such as during ingredient shortages and when you need to incorporate leftover feed (weighbacks) to reduce waste.

See Alternate Recipes to learn more.

The Automatic Feeding Schedule Reset (also called the Start of Day for Feeding) refreshes the feeding schedule for the next day and updates the status of scheduled feedings. This process helps keep feeding schedules and reports aligned with daily operations.

See Feeding Schedule Reset to learn more.

FeedComp marks a load as Complete when the feeding has finished successfully and all required loading and dropping information has been recorded. Loads may be marked as Incomplete when feeding activity ends unexpectedly or required weight information is missing.

See Complete vs. Incomplete Loads to learn more.

A Filler Load lets you collect leftover feed (weighbacks) and use it as part of a new scheduled feeding. Unlike a standard weighback pickup, a filler load treats the leftover feed as an ingredient and automatically adjusts the remaining ingredients in the recipe.

See Filler Loads to learn more.

Load tolerance defines how close a loaded ingredient must be to its target weight before FeedComp automatically advances to the next ingredient. This helps feeders work more efficiently while maintaining feeding accuracy.

See Load Tolerance to learn more.

A manual advance occurs when the Advance button is used while loading ingredients or dropping feed. Because FeedComp records scale values at the exact moment Advance is selected, using it incorrectly can create inaccurate feeding records or reporting errors.

See Manual Advances to learn more.

The on-hand amount is the total quantity of an ingredient currently available at a specific location for use or sale.

See On-Hand Amount to learn more.

An overnight load lets you start loading a feeding today and then finish and drop it tomorrow. It’s useful when you want a head-start on busy mornings or want to split loading across shifts.

Overnight loads are marked in the feeding schedule by this icon .

See Overnight Loads to learn more.

Pen updates let you change pen details (like pen name/type/zone, feeding count, and Target DM/HD) and have those changes flow into the places they matter—feeding calculations, pen availability in workflows, and reporting. Depending on your setup, pen count may be synced from Herd (and read-only) or managed directly in FeedComp; either way, updates to key pen fields help keep scheduled amounts, totals, and daily worklists current.

See Pen Count Updates to learn more.

Premixes let you define and manage blends (such as mineral or supplement mixes) as reusable building blocks inside your recipes. Instead of recreating the same combination of ingredients in multiple rations, you can set it up once as a premix and use it wherever it’s needed. This makes it easier to standardize nutrition and keep recipes clean and consistent.

See Premix Recipes to learn more.

Target DM (Dry Matter) is the daily dry-matter goal for each animal in a pen. FeedComp uses Target DM values to calculate feeding amounts and help keep feeding goals and schedules aligned.

See Target DM and Feeding Amounts to learn more.

A weighback—also called a "refusal" or "cleanup"—is the feed left over in the feeding area from a previous day. FeedComp allows you to capture the weight of these leftovers to ensure your records reflect what the animals actually consumed, rather than just what was delivered.