Over the course of the last three decades, Crowhill Special has become L.S. Smellies’ most popular cattle feed. But why?

What began as a humble tailor-made blend for a single farm unit has since evolved into Crowhill Special – a cattle feed that combines exceptional performance with practical delivery.

Crowhill Special cattle feed was developed in 1994 by a Smellies’ sales representative for Craig Hamilton of Crowhill Farm in Lanarkshire to meet a specific need for a four-way blend containing equal parts barley, wheat feed, distillers grains and beet pulp. It is this origin that gives Crowhill Special cattle feed its name, paying tribute to the farm’s role in creating something truly special.

The cattle feed formula has since evolved over the years to reflect changes in ingredient availability and advances in feed technology. In 2010, the blend was enhanced with the addition of micronised barley, flaked maize and beans. Recently as distillers grains became more difficult to source, they have been replaced with a combined mineralised distillers and wheat feed pellet in the mix.

Crowhill Special is a consistently high-quality livestock feed that delivers outstanding results without unnecessary complexity. Now made from six carefully selected and balanced ingredients, it is proven to practically provide reliable and repeatable performance on farm.

The Crowhill Special cattle feed blend is suitable for the safe feeding of calves at recommended rates, as well as ad lib feeding of mature cattle, making it a versatile livestock feed for a wide range of beef production systems.

Today, the Crowhill Special cattle feed is an important component on hundreds of farms, particularly across Scotland and Northern England. Its reputation, however, extends far beyond these regions, with farmers as far south as Somerset and Devon recognising its value and continuing to incorporate it into their feeding programmes.

A popular cattle feed for legendary animals

Fed to champions and record breakers, Crowhill Special has a long lineage of cattle that have achieved some of the highest honours in the beef industry.

To name a few:

• In 2026, ‘Duncanziemere Jet’ achieved the record-equalling Aberdeen Angus bull sale price of 60,000-guineas.
• At the 2026 Royal Highland Show, Andrew Ireland and JCB Commercials won Commercial Cattle Champion with a Limousin heifer, namely ‘The Hangover’.
• In the 2026 Campbeltown herd competition, all ten of the herd entries have been fed on Crowhill Special.
• Throughout the years, Duncan Semple from Dippen Farm has regularly topped sales at Sterling.

Between June 2025 and June 2026, 10,000 tonnes of Crowhill Special was fed on farms across the UK. That equates to around 450 lorry loads – an average of approximately 1.5 lorry loads leaving the mill every day.

Crowhill Special cattle feed isn’t just a high performer – it’s also a practical nutritional solution. Whether animals are destined for the for the show ring, the sale ring or are being reared on a commercial production system, Crowhill Special is super versatile in that it can be fed throughout the year with simple feed-rate adjustments where ad lib feeding is not practised.

While designed for cattle, some farms successfully creep feed and fatten prolific lamb and sheep breeds on Crowhill Special.

Strengthened by two trusted brands

Crowhill Special cattle feed was originally developed by L. S. Smellie & Sons (commonly known as “Smellies”), who for more than 150 years have been helping farmers thrive with expertly crafted livestock feed blends.

Founded in 1874, the Scottish family business joined the Carr’s Billington family in early 2026, bringing together two animal feed manufacturer’s that share a passion for Great British agriculture.

This collaboration has supported the expansion of Crowhill Special cattle feed production to serve a larger and more diverse customer base, leveraging the advanced production and bagging capabilities provided through Carr’s Billington’s investment in state-of-the-art facilities.

Crownhill Special cattle feed special features

What makes Crowhill Special cattle feed blend a firm favourite on farm, is that it offers an optimally balanced and stable supply of energy, protein and fibre.

Efficient energy content

Crowhill Special cattle feed is formulated to minimise wastage of valuable feed and improve overall feeding efficiency.

The maize, beans and barley are 100 percent micronised – a critical process for effective digestion and feed utilisation:

• Short-wavelength infrared rays rapidly heat the grains from the inside out
• This causes internal water molecules to vibrate and turn to steam
• The pressure cracks the seed coat and alters the starch structure
• The softened grain is passed through rollers to produce a flat and dust-free flakes

This results in a feed that smells better, tastes better, and ferments and digests more effectively in the rumen. With starches more easily digested, it is particularly beneficial for calves with immature digestive systems, allowing them to utilise nutrients more efficiently.

Favourable protein profile

Crowhill Special cattle feed blend contains 16 percent protein coming from a rapeseed meal / soya protein pellet and micronised beans.

The rapeseed meal provides high levels of crude protein and a well-balanced amino acid profile, particularly rich in methionine and threonine.

The micronised beans provide a highly digestible and high-quality protein, increasing the amount of bypass protein available for growth while improving overall protein-use efficiency.

Palatable fibre inclusion

Crowhill Special cattle feed’s main fibre source comes from molassed beet pulp.

This is a 6mm pelleted sugar beet fibre combined with molasses and a fine coating of vegetable oil, making it highly palatable and slow to digest to support stable rumen conditions.

Feed suitability

• Show cattle, sale cattle, or commercial cattle
• Ruminating calves, stores or finishing cattle
• Year-round feeding

Feed ingredients

• Flaked maize
• Flaked beans
• Flaked barley
• Molassed sugarbeet pulp
• Distillers and wheat feed pellet
• Mineral pack

Feed Options

• Available as a dry or molassed mix
• Bulk, 1-tonne tote bags, or 25kg bags

NEW: Crowhill Special Feed Nut

Following on from the long term success of the Crowhill Special cattle feed blend, the team have released the newly and highly anticipated Crowhill Special feed nut.

This new innovation is designed specifically for feeding through creep feeders, and is slightly different to the original blend formulation in that it does not incorporate micronised barley. This adjustment makes the product slightly more economic to feed to younger calves.

Currently being trialled on farm, the feed nut is available for early adopters to purchase now.

We’re right by you

If Crowhill Special sounds like a solution for your farm, please get in touch Tel: 01357 520211