4 major misunderstandings in the design of compound feed formula

First, high protein and low energy

Only to meet the requirements of crude protein, but ignore the energy level, but can not consider the digestibility. The customer only asks how much the crude protein content of the product is, whether there is fishmeal, and how much energy or protein to energy ratio has never been asked. The result is that pigs convert crude protein into energy to meet energy needs, while feed intake increases. The protein energy ratio is key. The energy of the formula is lower than the standard requirement, and the crude protein in the formula also decreases, while the protein energy ratio does not change. The protein energy ratio is specified in the standard and should not be tamed. Broilers and pigs should also be concerned with the protein-to-energy ratio.

Second, neglect the digestibility of compound feed ingredients

Neglecting the digestibility of compound feed ingredients is a common problem encountered with miscellaneous meal other than soybean meal. The product does not achieve the expected production results because it does not care about the toxic and hazardous substances it contains. Despite the presence of toxin-free cottonseed and double-low rapeseed, it is hard to say which product is used in the formulation. Therefore, the general dosage of cotton aphid and rapeseed meal should not exceed 5%. However, in order to reduce the cost, if the manufacturer adds non-nutritive value zeolite powder, medical stone and rice husk powder to the formula, the energy is further reduced.

Third, abuse of feed additives, drugs, etc.

Feed mills often ignore the important role of the main ingredient for the palatability of the feed. Specifically, energy and protein must be used as the main ingredient to meet their requirements first, but farmers usually only care about additives. And the idea of ​​drugs for growth and health. The drug residues make it difficult for Chinese animal food to be exported, and the Chinese are also suffering. Vitamins and feed-grade amino acids, the international feed classification has long stated that it is not an additive. The so-called nutritional additives are things that are born out of nothing. Some authors have written that fats, blood meal, and feather powder are also additives, not only a conceptual error, but also a misguided farmer's knife (too slaughter).

Fourth, abuse of NaCl

Animals need the balance of sodium and chlorine in body fluids, while the sodium and chlorine content in animal and plant feed ingredients is not suitable for animal needs. Grains and their by-products are mostly sodium < chlorine, and animal feed is mostly sodium > chlorine. While monogastric animals and poultry are required to be sodium > chlorine, chlorine > sodium is quite small. NaCl is sodium < chlorine, the traditional method is to add a certain amount of NaCl. The result is an imbalance between sodium and chlorine in the body fluids of the animal, which results in a high sodium and low chlorine, contrary to physiological requirements. As a result, the amount of drinking water and the moisture content of the feces and the amount of urine increased, resulting in excessive loss of heat and nitrogen and phosphorus. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement chlorine and sodium with NaCl. Insufficient sodium should be supplemented with baking soda (NaHCO3) to maintain sodium and chlorine balance. However, when baking soda (NaHCO3) is combined with vitamins, it affects the potency of vitamins, so manufacturers do not add baking soda (NaHCO3). In particular, some manufacturers add NaCl to increase the palatability of the feed.

Now is the era of formulas, a feed formula software that simulates tens of thousands of recipes, very simple. In order to sell the feed, the formula is said to be a god. Even if you throw away the work and do not say it, there are many deceptive ingredients in it. Some farmers can take the so-called "key materials" and "central materials" (even larger components of NaCl) as baby. In fact, the nutrition required for pigs should be static at each stage. Therefore, you can determine the set (four stages) addition based on several recipes, the minimum amount in each.

Therefore, the non-food resources used may vary depending on the region. But we can determine the basic principles of feed formulation: trace elements, "additives", and the phases are constant. Other ingredients are calculated accurately, not added, and are not reduced, but the increase in crude fiber is calculated only on demand (add more, but not counting). The most important thing is that palatability is the key.