What is a feed additive?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

For many centuries, people have achieved high quality meat and derived products of cattle by grazing animals and preparing a large supply of food for the winter. However, thanks to technological progress, various feed additives have appeared that make it possible to provide livestock with all the vitamins and microelements necessary for animal he alth. Therefore, every cattle breeder who breeds KRG on an industrial scale is interested in the question of which feed additives are best to use.

General information

Various prestigious world institutions have done a lot of research in the field of animal husbandry and have developed the correct feeding regimen and diet for various breeds of livestock, containing the necessary amount of nutrients. To obtain high quality meat and milk, animals must receive all vitamins and yeast daily.

What vitamins do cattle need?

The daily diet of cattle should be balanced and complete. Therefore, the use of feed additives for farm animals is very important. These baits shouldcontain the following vitamins and substances:

1. Calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D: without these substances, animals become very shy and also lose their appetite, which leads to tooth loss, weight loss and a significant decrease in meat quality.
2. S alt. With its deficiency, animals may develop acob altosis, and cows begin to produce less milk and lose weight.
3. The feed additive must also contain copper. With its deficiency, a he althy coat color is lost, reproductive ability is reduced, and paralysis of the limbs can also occur.
4. Manganese, cob alt and vitamin A. If the animal does not receive these substances with food every day, then this can lead to disruption of the functioning of the digestive system, as well as cause malnutrition.
5. Zinc and iodine. With a lack of these elements, milk production drops very much, and the likelihood of getting pregnant decreases in animals.
6. Vitamin E. One of the most important vitamins, without which cattle very often develop anemia and experience very strong weight loss.

Modern production of feed additives is aimed at ensuring that they contain all the necessary nutrients that cows need to receive every day.

A few words about the right diet

Today it is impossible to formulate a correct diet for CRG without the use of various supplements. In the warm season, animals can be grazed in meadows, where they receive a large amount of nutrients with grass.substances, but what about in winter, when the possibility of grazing is physically absent? In this case, special feeds and feed additives will help to solve the problem. Without them, providing animals with proper nutrition will be quite difficult and expensive.

Therefore, every person who is engaged in the cultivation and breeding of KRG must closely monitor what the animals eat. For example, for one year, each cow should receive about 26 kilograms of s alt alone. Equally important is the protein, which is very close in composition to animal proteins and is necessary for the development of muscle tissue. Protein is found in fodder yeast, so it must be included in the daily diet of animals.

Additives in animal feed favorably affect the digestion of food by livestock and supply all vital vitamins and substances. However, the safety of feed and feed additives is also very important, so do not chase the price and buy too cheap feed, as they can bring not so much good as harm.

Varieties of additives

There are quite a few different types of livestock feed additives these days. When choosing them, one should focus on the age and live weight of the cattle. Vitamin complexes are produced in the form of oils and concentrates. However, it should be noted right away that it is strictly forbidden to add all additives to feed at once and give them to animals at one meal.

The animal does not need to be prepared in advance for a change in diet,therefore, the feed additive can be used immediately. Ready-made complex compound feeds already contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals, which saves cattle breeders from having to choose the right diet on their own. Thus, nowadays it is no longer necessary to procure food for livestock for the winter, but you can simply buy ready-made feed. However, it must be borne in mind that various additives are designed for a specific breed of animals. Finding the right supplement for your livestock is discussed below.

Supplements for breeding bulls

If the diet of breeding bulls does not contain the necessary amino acids and nutrients, then its ability to fertilize cows is significantly reduced, and it will take at least two months to restore it. In addition, an excess of magnesium and protein in the feed can lead to bull obesity. Therefore, it is very important to provide the animal with proper nutrition, which should be compiled by professionals.

It is worth noting that the process of feeding should not be approached by force. The animal must receive all the necessary substances when eating food, in which feed additives for animals come to the rescue.

Supplements for pregnant cows and heifers

In the weeks prior to supplementation, cows should be fed high levels of calcium, sugar, animal fats, magnesium, and a huge list of other macronutrients. All these nutrients can be provided to a cow by a meadowgrass, but what to do in winter, when the main diet of the animal consists of silage or straw?

In this case, a balanced feed supplement, which can be purchased at various specialized stores at an affordable price, will help solve the problem of good nutrition.

Production of modern additives

The first additives in livestock feed appeared during the USSR, which were various compound feeds and bentonite. Their introduction into the daily diet of animals made it possible to significantly increase milk yield, accelerate live weight gain, and also improve reproductive capacity. These supplements were given to cows once a day along with grain. However, despite the fact that such feeding does not require special financial costs, nevertheless it is morally and technologically outdated. Modern feeds and additives are produced taking into account the observance of the optimal proportions of all the necessary vitamins, minerals, fodder yeast, precipitate and other derivative products obtained during various chemical reactions. Such additives are very versatile and can be used for feeding various breeds of cattle.

Conclusion

Feed additive not only increases milk production and meat quality, but also has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive system and gives animals good he alth. Therefore, modern complex additives arean integral part of the diet of cows. Most importantly, you do not need to save on feed, as the general condition of the animal depends on its quality.