What Is Concentrated Feed? This Is How to Choose and Use It Correctly
Feed is the general term for the food of all animals kept by humans; in a narrower sense, feed generally refers mainly to the food of animals raised in agriculture or animal husbandry.So what is concentrated feed? How do you choose and use it correctly?
What is concentrated feed?
Concentrated feed is a mixture prepared in a certain proportion from ingredients such as protein, minerals, trace elements, vitamins and non-nutritive additives. When using it, you only need to mix it in a certain proportion into energy feed made from raw materials such as corn, wheat bran, sorghum and barley, and it becomes a complete compound feed that can meet the nutritional needs of livestock and poultry. There are many manufacturers producing concentrated feed and no shortage of varieties, but product quality varies greatly, and some are even inferior or counterfeit products. Therefore, when buying concentrated feed, you must choose high-quality products.
How do you correctly choose and use concentrated feed?
1. Methods for choosing high-quality feed
1. Smell the odor. Smell whether the product has any off odor or musty smell.
2. Look at its outer packaging. Check whether the printing on the packaging is clear and whether it has the product name, factory address and manufacturer contact telephone number. Check whether the label is marked with the words “this product complies with feed hygiene standards” and whether the content is complete, mainly including whether the product name, feeding target and stage, approval document number, production license number, main feed ingredient categories, guaranteed nutritional component values, usage, dosage, net weight, production date, shelf life and product standard number, factory address, manufacturer and contact telephone number are consistent with the outer packaging. Pay special attention to whether the approval document number and production license are within their validity period (generally the validity period of these two is 5 years). For concentrated feed containing drugs, check whether it has the words “contains medicated feed additives” and the drug name, content, incompatibility, withdrawal period, method of use and precautions.
3. Check whether there is a product certificate of conformity, stamped with the inspection date, inspection results, inspector number, etc.
4. Look at the product instructions, whose content includes the recommended feeding method, expected feeding effect, storage method and precautions, etc.
5. Check whether there is a registered trademark. It should be marked on the instructions, product label and outer packaging.
6. Do not buy too much at one time, so as to keep it fresh and palatable.
2. Precautions for using concentrated feed
The crude protein content in concentrated feed is generally above 30%, and the mineral and vitamin contents are also several times or more higher than the needs of livestock. Therefore, it cannot be fed directly; it must be mixed with energy feed in a certain proportion before feeding. Only in this way can the role of concentrated feed truly be brought into play; otherwise, adverse consequences will occur. When concentrated feed is mixed with energy feed (corn, barley, etc.) in a certain proportion, it becomes a nutritionally balanced complete compound feed that can meet the needs of livestock and poultry for various nutrients, and no other additives are needed. Concentrated feed and energy feed must be mixed evenly; stir the concentrated feed and energy feed thoroughly, usually feeding it as a wet mixture of dry ingredients or as dry powder, not as a thin slurry, and certainly not cooked before feeding. When feeding concentrated feed, clean and hygienic drinking water should be supplied abundantly to facilitate the digestion and absorption of livestock.