# Designing and Simulating the Control Process of a Feed Pusher Robot Used on a Dairy Farm
## 2 Materials and Methods
### Features of Cattle Feeding, Feed Additives and Their Ratio in the Diet  
The productive qualities of cattle are maintained and increased by feeding natural, high-quality feed and adding other components of the diet. The energy value of the feed mixture can be increased by including concentrated feed, but high productivity often causes rapid deaths of animals. One of the most common opinions is that the increased productivity of dairy cows leads to the leaching of minerals (Ca, K, Na, Mg) from the animal's body, and the farmer is often unable to identify the needs of animals in time [25].  
If we consider the structure of the feeding ration, the mass fraction of Ca, K, Na, Mg supplied in the form of premixes is less than 1%. Consequently, animals may often receive less mineral supplements due to the technological features of machines that mix feed mixture components.  
The developed robot is a tool for carrying out cyclic manipulations on the feed table, increasing animals' interest in feed, and dosing energy compound feed or mineral supplements repeatedly during each feeding cycle, taking into account livestock breeding recommendations.  
An installable feed additive dispenser with automatic performance control system, can provide an individual feeding mode for each group of animals.  
Depending on the stage of lactation--from 15 to 30% of calcium is in a \"mobile\" state; it can pass from bone tissue into the blood and other tissues--it is essential to control this indicator at the peak of lactation when a large amount of minerals is released with a large volume of milk. It is also important to note that Phosphorus (P) is an antagonist of Calcium (Ca) and their ratio must equal Ca/P = 1.5 - 2/1 [26; 27; 28; 29; 30].  
Phosphorus ranks second after calcium in terms of the level of content in the body. It is responsible for the formation of cell membranes and is necessary for rumen microorganisms' regular activity. It also plays a vital role in the metabolism and transport of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. Therefore, it is necessary for the normal absorption of calcium, an active catalyst and stimulator of the effective use of feed.  
Potassium (K) is a key element responsible for the reproduction of cows. Sodium (Na) provides the acid-base balance of the body and the rumen of the animal. The consumption rate is from 0.1 to 0.2% of dry matter of the daily ration Na/K = 1/2 - 4. When feeding cows with green mass, silage, haylage and root crops, it is necessary to introduce an increased amount of table salt into the rations than in case of the hay-concentrate feeding.  
Large amounts of calcium and phosphorus in feed increase the animal's need for magnesium (Mg). An excess of magnesium in the diet leads to increased excretion of calcium and phosphorus from the body. Its deficiency causes a slowdown in the growth of animals and a violation of their nervous and muscular activity.  
Sulfur(S) helps improve the utilization of non-protein nitrogen, the digestion of fiber and starch in the rumen [30; 31; 32; 33].  
A controlled dispenser located in the robot body will provide for online manipulation of the dosage of mineral supplements and optimize the value of the animal ration.