Meat and bone meal is a natural product that includes many useful elements, minerals and vitamins. Used in agriculture as a fertilizer for the soil and feeding for livestock and birds. Meat and bone meal is purchased in bulk; thanks to a wide range of applications.
The product is made from bones and rejected meat, which are thermally processed, dried and ground into flour.
The use of meat and bone meal
Meat and bone meal is rich in protein, therefore it is useful for pigs and poultry. The product is also suitable for pets: dogs and cats. The nutrients in meat and bone meal are easily digestible.
The addition of meat and bone meal to feed contributes to:
Improving the nutritional properties of feed;
- feed savings;
- normalization of the metabolic function of the organism of animals;
- growth activation;
- increase immunity;
- increasing the productivity of poultry.
Meat bone meal used to fertilize the soil. The product is safe, environmentally friendly and effective for the growth of cultivated plants.
The benefits of meat and bone meal
The use of meat and bone meal is necessary for:
Harmonious development and growth of young livestock;
- stabilization and strengthening of the musculoskeletal system of old and weak animals;
- provision of vitamins and minerals to the body of bitches during the feeding of puppies;
- during the rehabilitation of the animal after childbirth or lactation.
Meat and bone meal should be added to pet food gradually. It is recommended to mix flour with liquid food, porridge or soups, for better digestibility of the product.
The amount of flour used depends on the weight of the animal, but the amount does not exceed 100 gr. in a day.
How to choose meat and bone meal
Meat and bone meal looks like powder from light Brown to dark brown. The smell of the product is specific. When choosing flour, pay attention to the color, it should be brown. A yellowish tint indicates poor product quality. The yellowness of the flour is given by the use of a chicken feather. By consuming such a product poultry and the productivity of egg production decreases and the development of cannibalism is possible.
The quality of meat and bone meal depends on the amount of fat it contains. The product with the lowest fat content is considered the best.
When choosing meat and bone meal, you should pay attention to:
- the smell of the product is specific, but should not be rotten or musty;
- The flour should be smooth, not lumpy. Does not contain particles larger than 12 mm.
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In addition to the main food, various additives are introduced into the diet of animals. One of them is meat and bone meal. Find out what it is and how it is used.
What is meat and bone meal, how is it made?
Meat and bone meal is a protein feed additive of animal origin. It has the appearance of a brown granular powder and has a specific odor. Meat and bone meal is produced from the meat and bones of animals that died from non-communicable diseases or accidents. Also for the manufacture can be used waste products of meat processing plants, farms, fish production.
The technology for the production of meat and bone meal includes several stages:
- First, the raw materials are carefully checked to identify dangerous infections.
- Further, the remains of bones and meat are boiled and cooled to 25 degrees.
- With the help of crushing equipment, the cooked raw materials are crushed, turning into small granules.
- Then magnetic separators remove metal particles that have fallen into it from the powder.
- The granules are treated with antioxidants to prevent fat deterioration.
- Then the meat and bone meal is packaged and sold.
Compound
Meat and bone meal contains many nutrients. The main components are ash, fat, protein and water. The ratio of components affects the quality and determines the class of the additive. For example, meat and bone meal of the first class should contain no more than 8-9% water, about half the volume of protein, 25-26% ash and about 12-13% fat. In a second class mixture more water, ash and fat, the proportion of protein is reduced to a third. It also contains 1-2% fiber.
Good to know! High-quality meat and bone meal contains macronutrients such as phosphorus, sodium and calcium, as well as B vitamins.
How to choose?
Only high-quality meat and bone meal will be useful, so its choice should be approached responsibly. You should pay attention to several important points:
- Colour. It should be brown, dark enough. Yellow flour may contain bird feathers, and such a component does not carry nutritional value, but only increases the final volume and is usually used by unscrupulous manufacturers. Let's say gray shade, indicating that there are more bone components in the composition.
- The smell is very specific, vaguely reminiscent of laundry soap. In no case should it be sour, putrid, harsh chemical.
- Granule size. They should be small, the maximum allowable diameter is 1-1.2 millimeters.
- Package. Evaluate the tightness, as integrity violations can lead to the penetration of insects and moisture into the container, which provokes the formation of mold.
Note: The cost may vary depending on the composition. The price of a kilogram of flour varies from 20 to 35-40 rubles.
Application features
How to apply the supplement? Meat and bone meal is most often used in animal husbandry and is introduced into the diet of cattle, birds, pigs, and dogs. There are other uses as well. For example, the powder is added to the soil as a fertilizer for plants, and in some European countries, flour is used as a fuel for burning garbage and for generating heat. It can replace coal, but emits a third less energy, although such indicators can be considered quite good.
Consider the schemes for the use and dosage of meat and bone meal when it is used as an additive to animal feed:
- When feeding chickens, from 2 to 4% of flour is added to a kilogram of feed.
- Meat and bone meal given to pigs should not exceed 7-10% of the daily feed volume. But young animals can be offered up to 15%.
- Cattle are entitled to from 10-20 to 80-100 grams per day, depending on the size and weight of the animal. No more than 20 g is introduced into the diet of small livestock.
- The product is suitable for dogs: suffering from diseases of the musculoskeletal system, muscle weakness, as well as lactating, pregnant and giving birth to bitches. For every 10 kg of weight, a teaspoon of the supplement is required, that is, about 5 grams.
Tip: you can introduce meat and bone meal into any prepared food or natural food, it is better immediately before use.
Benefit
Meat and bone meal has the following beneficial features that apply to animals:
- Proteins and amino acids help build muscle mass, which is important for animals that are subjected to intense loads (for example, used by people as hounds or drafts, when plowing fields) and taking part in competitions.
- The additive increases the productivity of the bird, increases the number of eggs laid.
- Meat and bone meal helps to strengthen the immune system.
- The introduction of this additive into the diet helps to increase the amount of meat and reduce the amount of fat, which is important when growing birds and cattle for the further production of meat products.
- With the regular use of meat and bone meal by animals, the metabolism is normalized, the functioning of all organs and systems improves.
- The additive is used to accelerate growth.
- Flour is useful for weakened, recently given birth and lactating animals, young animals. She raises nutritional value feed and enriches it with the necessary normal functioning body substances.
- Calcium strengthens the musculoskeletal system and restores the bone structures of old animals.
special instructions
Observe the storage conditions of the additive. It should be stored in tightly closed packaging in a well-ventilated, protected from direct sunlight and sufficiently cool place. Maximum allowable temperature- 27-30 degrees Celsius. The optimum humidity level is not more than 75%. Typically, the shelf life is a year, and it is indicated on the container.
Flour should not be heated, as at elevated temperatures it loses some of its beneficial properties due to the destruction of vitamins and protein. And with intense heating, a toxic substance, acrolin aldehyde, is formed, which makes the additive extremely dangerous.
It is important to follow the recommended dosages. Their excess when feeding birds causes gout. If an increased amount of meat and bone meal is introduced into the diet of animals, this can provoke amyloidosis, a disease in which protein deposits accumulate in organs and tissues.
Meat and bone meal is good for animals if it is chosen and used correctly.
Feeding chickens cannot be complete without the introduction of various additives into the grain mixture. In addition to proteins and vitamins, any living organism needs mineral elements. This applies equally to laying hens and meat poultry.
Let's talk about what mineral supplements are, what types of them are desirable to use in feeding chickens in a private courtyard, and how to properly give certain drugs.
What are mineral supplements
The minerals that a bird needs are divided into macronutrients and micronutrients. Roughly speaking, macronutrients are those minerals, which are dosed in grams, to trace elements - in milligrams and micrograms.
Macronutrients
- potassium;
- sodium;
- chlorine;
- magnesium;
- sulfur;
- calcium;
- phosphorus.
When they talk about mineral supplements in home gardens, they primarily mean macronutrients. In the conditions of non-industrial poultry farming, it is enough to control the content of four elements in feed mixtures: sodium, chlorine, calcium and phosphorus.
Trace elements are also important for the normal functioning of the body, but in practice, the amount of them that is contained in the other components of the feed is usually enough.
In rare cases, broilers may have problems with iodine or manganese deficiencies. In laying hens, selenium has a positive effect on reproductive function.
Types of mineral additives
In subsidiary farms, it is advisable to use the following mineral additives.
Salt
It is a source of sodium and chlorine. Sodium is usually contained in coma in an amount sufficient for normal life, but chlorine must be replenished. The interaction of these elements in the body is very close, so their deficiency is always considered together as a lack of salt.
Deficiency symptoms in chickens are a decrease in egg production, a deterioration in the quality of the shell, growth in broilers slows down, the bird becomes lethargic, convulsive phenomena are possible. Table salt is introduced into the mixers in the amount of 0.2-0.4%. For an adult laying hen, this will be about 2 g per head per day.
Carefully! A salt content of more than 0.7% in the feed can cause poisoning, and at 1% or more, death is possible. It is impossible to feed purchased animal feed to chickens - cows, pigs, etc., since the norm of salt for mammals is several times higher than for birds.
Shell
The shell contains about 38% calcium, which, with a digestibility of 60%, gives about 22 grams of calcium per 100 grams of the shell. Calcium is especially important for laying hens, which lose it daily during egg shell formation. A characteristic sign of a lack of this element in a laying hen is problems with the shell or even its complete absence - "egg casting".
The daily rate of shells for chickens is 6-9%. For broilers and young animals, it is necessary for the formation of the backbone. Chicken shells are introduced from the age of three days in the amount of 1-1.2%.
Additionally, sea shell rock contains elements such as iodine and magnesium. The Caspian shell is considered the highest quality and affordable.
In the photo - a shell for adding to food for chickens, geese and turkeys.
Stern chalk
Limestone
Contains about 32% calcium, from which 30-40% is absorbed. When feeding with feed phosphates, the absorption of calcium from chalk and limestone improves. Also, limestone contains 0.5% iron, 0.2% sulfur and 2-3% magnesium. It is introduced into the diet in an amount of 3-4%.
Eggshell
It is an excellent source of calcium and other mineral elements. Contains up to 80% calcium carbonate. Before feeding, the shell must be boiled and crushed. It is administered at a dose of 10-15 g per head for adult chickens and 2% for chickens.
Phosphates
This group includes fluorine-free fodder phosphate, mono-, di- and tricalcium phosphate. They are given to replenish phosphorus in the body. The lack of phosphorus affects primarily the formation of the skeleton and egg shell. This element must be in balance with calcium.
The normal ratio of calcium to phosphorus for chickens is 3:1 at hauling and 5-6:1 during laying, for chickens 2:1. Knowing how much calcium you give, you can calculate yourself required amount phosphorus. It is best absorbed by the bird and mixes well with the feed tricalcium phosphate. Norms of its input for chickens: 1.5-2%, for chickens - 0.5-1%.
wood ash
Contains a complex of minerals, in particular: calcium 33%, phosphorus 2%, sodium 9%, potassium 7%, magnesium 7%, manganese 0.47%, iron 0.8%. It is fed at the rate of 10 grams per head or in a separate bowl in the form of coal ad libitum.
If you arrange ash baths for chickens, you will not need to add it to the feed. In this way, two goals are achieved.
Sapropel
This is lake silt, which contains protein (up to 6%), calcium (1.2%), and other trace elements. It is used as a complex additive at the rate of 20 g per head of chickens and 5-15% to the diet of chickens.
Fish meal, bone and meat and bone meal
These products are not mineral supplements - they are classified as high protein foods. But if you introduce them into your diet, keep in mind that bone and meat and bone meal contains a lot of calcium and phosphorus, and fish meal contains phosphorus. In addition, fishmeal can be salty - this will need to be taken into account when calculating the diet.
All doses indicated above are approximate per head for laying hens or per 1 kg of dry feed mixture for chickens and broilers. Depending on the diet, they may vary slightly. So, when feeding green fodder, it is recommended to increase the content of table salt to 0.5-0.7% in order to regulate the ratio with potassium, which is abundant in green vegetation. And when feeding poultry with meat and bone meal, calcium-phosphorus supplements are halved or you can do without them at all (if it is not a laying hen, which needs to form an egg shell).
When introducing supplements into the diet, follow the norm, since an excess of minerals is harmful to the body no less than their deficiency. So, with an excess of calcium, chickens absorb food worse and may lag behind in growth, despite the fact that their bones will be in perfect condition.
Balanced feeding is the key to a healthy and productive bird flock.
Mineral premixes
Many manufacturers produce ready-made vitamin and mineral premixes. In general, their use is justified if the composition includes several mineral elements, in addition to calcium and phosphorus. It is good to add such a premix to feed that is poor in structure (for example, one grain or only waste from the kitchen). It will also have the effect of increasing productivity if other management parameters are good enough for the bird.
It is better to normalize calcium by introducing separate mineral additives - shells, limestone, and so on.
Here is an example of some vitamin and mineral premixes for a rural farmstead.
- "Rural Yard". Vitamin and mineral supplement for chickens. Dosage 1 g per head.
- "Ryabushka". Contains vitamins and microelements - iron, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, iodine, selenium. Dosage 0.5 g per head.
- Premix for laying hens "Agroservice". Contains proteins, vitamins and minerals - calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, iodine, selenium. Give at the rate of 10 grams per head.
- Premix "Broiler Economy" (KapitalProk") for broilers from 4 weeks. Vitamins + trace elements: iron, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, iodine, selenium. Dose 1 g per head.
- Premix "Sun" for young birds from the first days. Contains vitamins and microelements: iron, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, iodine, selenium. Dosage 0.1 - 1 g per head, depending on age.
In the photo - packaging of the mineral premix for laying hens by Agroservice. For a closer look, click on the picture.
As you can see, in the line of all premix manufacturers there are products for broilers and laying hens, which, in addition to vitamins, also include microelements. We remind you that it is necessary to introduce premixes into the diet if you feed the bird with mash own production. When buying complete feed (PC), you do not need to introduce any additives.
Why gravel is needed
A few words about gravel. It is often put on a par with mineral supplements, although this is incorrect. The function of the gravel is to serve as "teeth" for the bird. Once in the muscular stomach, the gravel settles there and contributes to the grinding of the grain.
The absence of gravel in chickens is fraught with metabolic disorders and even the development of cuticulitis (detachment of the inner wall of the stomach)
Therefore, good gravel must be clean, free of dirt and fine sand, and not soluble in water and acid. The size of gravel for chickens should be 4-6 mm, for smaller chickens - 2-3 mm.
Gravel can be given ad libitum in bulk on the bedding, in a separate bowl, or introduced into the feed once a week in the amount of 10-15 g per head. If the bird is kept free-range, then it is not necessary to give gravel.
Different fractions of gravel are given to the bird depending on size and age.
Summing up
When growing poultry for meat, and even more so in feeding laying hens, it is necessary to control the content of mineral elements in the diet. In practice, this is achieved by introducing one complex or two or three mineral additives. The most commonly used shell, fodder chalk, limestone, tricalcium phosphate. In conditions of a small livestock, you can get by with feeding the bird eggshell or wood ash.
The fact that bone and meat and bone meal is used in crop production, we have already said. This gray-brown powder of animal origin is rich in phosphorus and calcium, much needed horticultural crops. But in animal husbandry, meat and bone meal plays an important role as a source of minerals and animal protein.
Therefore, we propose to talk about the composition of meat and bone meal, its benefits for farm animals and how to give meat and bone meal to chickens, pigs, cows and other livestock and poultry.
Meat and bone meal: production and value
Meat and bone meal is made from meat production waste, mainly from cattle carcasses. Raw materials are subjected to heat treatment, drying and grinding. It, depending on the class, contains 30-50% protein, 13-20% fat, 9-10% moisture, 26-38% ash and 2% fiber (there is no fiber in bone meal, twice as much ash, and fat - a little less). One kilogram of meat and bone meal contains 230 grams of digestible protein, as well as a very high content, at the level of 12-23%, calcium phosphate.
The composition of meat and bone meal determines the value of this product: to establish phosphorus-calcium metabolism in the body, to meet the needs of livestock and poultry in protein of animal origin, which will result in good growth, animals will not fall on their feet, chickens will stop pecking eggs and peck each other's feathers. After all, protein is construction material» internal organs, skeleton and muscles. Thus, bone meal in animal husbandry allows you to balance the diet for phosphorus, calcium and protein. And most importantly - everything is organic and natural, no "chemistry".
Important! When introducing meat and bone meal for livestock into boiled mash, they are added after cooking, that is, they are not carried out heat treatment! But there are exceptions - meat and bone meal in an open container deteriorates quite quickly, acquiring the smell of rancid fat. It is better to boil such a product, and drain the fat - it is better to have less benefit, but it is safe.
Meat and bone meal for chickens
If chickens peck eggs, peck each other's feathers and peck to blood - a clear sign of the need to enrich the diet, including meat and bone meal. However, it is better not to wait for problems, but to make meat and bone meal a permanent component of the diet of chickens, young animals and adult birds. We are talking not only about chickens, but also about other poultry - ducks, geese, guinea fowls, quails, pheasants. The need of poultry for meat and bone meal is especially acute in winter time when birds do not have the opportunity to find earthworms, flies and other protein foods of animal origin in the courtyard.
For meat breeds poultry meat and bone meal is useful in that it helps to increase weight gain and improve the taste of meat; for egg breeds- strengthens the shell, improves the color of the yolk, increases egg production, eliminates the possibility of pecking eggs and cannibalism.
Bone meal for broilers is an excellent prevention of calcium and phosphorus deficiency (when broilers fall on their feet).
Meat and bone meal for chickens and other poultry is given in the following proportions:
- under the age of 1 week - not given to any type of poultry;
- 7% of flour from the total diet should be received by turkeys, broiler chickens, quails aged 1-7 weeks; goslings, ducklings and pheasant babies aged 1-3 weeks.
- 3% of the flour from the total diet is given to broiler chickens 5-7 weeks old, replacement chickens 8-14 weeks old, turkey poults 5-17 weeks old, goslings 4-8 weeks old, pheasants 4-13 weeks old, and quails 5-13 weeks old. 6 weeks.
- 4-5% of flour from the total diet is given to the rest of the bird, that is, an adult.
The head of an adult bird should account for 7-11 grams of flour per day.
Meat and bone meal for pigs
For pigs, meat and bone meal is valuable because it is an excellent prevention of calcium deficiency, which is absorbed just in tandem with phosphorus. And calcium deficiency for piglets is a very serious thing, because of it the animals fall to their feet. In addition, meat and bone meal for piglets enriches the diet with minerals and amino acids, and has a positive effect on overall health. This additive is often used for intensive meat fattening, as it contributes to obtaining high average daily gains.
And for young animals, and for adult animals, and for sows, the rate of administration of this additive is up to 5%. You can not give it only to very tiny piglets.
Meat and bone meal for rabbits
The value of this product for rabbits is mainly the high content of calcium and phosphorus. In the diet of adult animals, flour is about 1.5%, but for young animals it is better to take bone meal - no more than 0.5% of the diet.
Meat and bone meal for cows
For young cattle, this food supplement helps to gain weight more actively, and for dairy cows - to increase milk yield and fat content of milk. This additive is very useful for cows in the stall period.
Young cattle aged from six months to a year are given no more than 5% of the flour from the diet, older than a year - 3%. But this food is not typical for cows, so it is mixed with bran or end feed, gradually increasing the dose and bringing it from 10-20 grams per day to a full 100 grams.
Finally, we recall that the use of meat and bone meal in agriculture will be beneficial only if the product is of high quality - not rancid, not fetid, of a uniform consistency.
