Flour grass and hay. Feed for farm animals

Herbal flours are one of the best feeds for farm animals and poultry. In terms of nutritional value, it exceeds hay and silage by several times, the content of proteins and vitamins in it is much higher than in grain mixed fodders.

The use of herbal food in livestock and poultry farming

In the ancillary farms and on farms in the old manner, hay, silage, grain mixed fodder, straw and bush fodder, as well as root crops, are harvested for the winter. Modern technology allows you to harvest herbal food with much greater productivity.

In the breeding of cattle, pigs, rabbitry and even poultry, a huge role is played by herbal food. The climate of our country does not allow us to use fresh grass and free grazing all year round. To this end, various systems of conservation of grass for the fattening of animals in the cold season have always been used.

The simplest thing is, of course, hay making. At all times there was a period of haymaking. Skewed and dried grass in the meadows was harvested and shredded. In winter, the cattle were fed with hay. Hay is well preserved, but when drying in the sun, up to 50% of the nutrients from it are lost. Most of all hay loses carotene, protein and vitamins, the sun's rays destroy them very much.

Harvesting feeds in the form of silage significantly improves their usefulness, but it is impossible to feed only with silage. Roots and grain in a crushed form - a very good food, but they are in the content of useful substances inferior to fresh grass. In addition, root crops also need to be ground, and they quickly deteriorate, it can cause intestinal disorders in animals.

Nutrition of herbal flour

Herbal flour in terms of its nutrient content is close to fresh green grass. Even with long-term storage (8-10 months), it retains up to 95 percent of useful substances. The content of protein, carotene, sugar, vitamins and other substances depends on the herb from which it was made.

The best herbal meal for nourishment is the flour from the mown grass during the budding period, before flowering. During this period, the herbs are the most rich in vitamins, carotene and all useful substances. If you are late with mowing, the content of protein and other useful substances is significantly reduced, only the fiber content increases.

Preservation of carotene in flour depends on the conditions of its storage. If it is stored in loose form, then up to 50 percent of the substance is lost, and if the flour is compressed into pellets, the loss of carotene will be no more than 10 percent for 10 months of storage.

Types of herbal flour

Flour grass is of several types: from alfalfa, clover, vetch-oat mixture and herbs. According to the content of carotene, protein and other useful substances, herbal flour is divided into 3 classes. The smaller the class, the less in the flour of nutrients. Therefore, the best flour - 1-st grade.

In the content of vitamins, macro- and microelements, carotene and protein, as well as amino acids, herbal flour made from alfalfa is leading. In addition, alfalfa after mowing is quickly restored, so during the season it can be cut into the production of flour three times. This makes it much cheaper. Because one land area is used, and the crop is harvested from it 3 times.

Powdered and granulated herbal flour

Flour herbal to the consumer comes in two types. It can be purchased in bulk and in the form of granules.

In bulk, flour quickly loses nutrients, it absorbs moisture more from the air and can cake or mold. In addition, in this form it takes up too much space, because it is very light. Therefore, storing and transporting it in such a form is inconvenient and costly.

Herbal flour in the form of granules is in great demand. Granulated food less loses nutrients during storage. The granules are dense, hard and shiny. If the technology is not broken, then they can be stored for a long time without crumbling, many times less occupy places during storage and transportation. Granules are essentially a concentrate. For animals, granular flour is given in portions many times less than powdered flour. Therefore, if a granulated product is used for fattening animals, then it does not need to be bought in large quantities. This is also advantageous and convenient.

Making herbal flour and granules from it

Grass for vitamin flour mow until it bloomed, but just picked up the buds. If you miss this moment, then the grass will lose carotene and protein every day. The chopped crushed grass is transported for artificial drying. Grinded grass on the conveyor is loaded into the drying drum. From there, the dry mass enters the crusher. After the crusher from the dry grass, flour is produced, fed to the cyclone, deposited and stored in the operational silo for temporary storage. From this bunker, if necessary, the herb flour enters the pressing chamber to make granules and reduce the volume. Pressed mass is squeezed out through the holes of the matrix and cut off with a knife. The granules are 2-3 cm in radius and about 5 cm in length. In this procedure, the pellets are heated, and in order to avoid large losses of carotene, they are placed in a cooling chamber. There they lose excess moisture, they become firm and durable. Then they are placed in a hopper for temporary storage, from where they come for packaging, are packed and stored.

To reduce the costs of artificial drying of grass, now use a different procurement system - drying. With this method, the chamfered grass is left in the rolls for several hours, and then a special technique collects the rolls, grinds the slightly weeded grass. It is loaded and delivered to further artificial drying. Evaporation of moisture from such raw materials decreases almost 2 times, which speeds up and makes the whole process cheaper. With this method, a small amount of carotene is lost in the sun in the rolls, so it is not recommended to dry the grass for more than 4 hours.

Pellets and flour are stored in a cool, dry, dark room. In the store, certain parameters of the microclimate (temperature and humidity) must be observed.

To store as much as possible carotene in flour, 0.5 percent of sodium pyrosulfite is added to it . For maximum preservation of nutrients in flour for long-term storage, gamma-ray irradiation is used. The preservation of nutrients is affected by low temperature, darkness and the introduction of oxidants into the flour (during granulation).

Quality pellets and flour have a pleasant green color and the smell of hay. The granules are solid, with shiny sides, even, without signs of mold.

Mixed fodder with herbal flour

Feed for farm animals should be full and balanced, and they should have a low cost. The low cost of feed will ensure lower prices for livestock products: meat, milk, eggs and so on.

Any plant of mixed fodders wants to produce a quality product with a low, competitive price. To make such mixed fodder, herbal flour is the best ingredient. According to several recipes, it can be contained in feed for 15, 25 and 35 percent. The remaining components are grain, meal, bran, cake and mineral additives. When adding herbal flour to mixed fodder, the product is enriched with vitamins, carotene, amino acids, fats and proteins. As a result, the composition of the mixed feed is completely full, balanced and inexpensive.

The plant of mixed fodders can use senna flour instead of herbal flour for artificial drying. But hay flour is much inferior to herbal in terms of nutrients. The composition of mixed fodder with it will be less saturated with carotene and vitamins, which disappear when natural grass is dried. The cost price of such mixed fodder may be lower, but for the useful components it will be less productive in livestock.

Convenience of combined feeds

Combined feed is very convenient to use. This is especially true of large farms. For example, when growing rabbits it is enough to feed them with mixed fodders for rabbits and to give water. High-quality mixed fodder completely replaces the juicy root crops, the raw coarse forage and hay. With such feeding, rabbits quickly gain weight, do not get sick and multiply well.

Fattening pigs first of all provides for feeding them with mixed fodders. Mixed fodders with herbal flour completely provide all the needs of the pig's body. It's no secret that in the subsidiary farms, freshly cut grass and vegetables are given in a large number of pigs. All this together with the porridges provides for a full fattening of the pigs. But where it is more convenient to use mixed fodder with herbal flour and drinking water.

Feeding cows mixed fodder with herbal flour increases milk yield and fat content of milk. Cows gain weight even during lactation. Improves the blood of animals, increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood. As a result, a full-fledged strong offspring is born. True, the feeding of cows should include hay and silage in addition to mixed fodder, as well as fodder roots (beetroot). But this is only in the winter period of time. In the summer, cows feed on pasture, but even then they must receive mixed fodder.

Surprisingly, in the largest amount, mixed fodder with herb flour is used in poultry farming. This is especially true when breeding geese, ducks and turkeys. Mixed fodder is in great demand on ostrich farms.

High-quality, high-grade feed for farm animals is the foundation for the successful operation of any farm. Any living creature needs a full-fledged diet, where proteins, fats, carbohydrates, trace elements and vitamins are fully balanced. But the main thing in mixed fodders is the convenience of feeding animals, cleanliness in the room. They are convenient to transport and store, it is a good canned concentrate.

The production of animal feed is a very profitable business. Modern technologies allow you to automate everything. If the feed mill has its own sowing and production areas, then this is a doubly profitable business. Of course, we need a technique for fieldwork and seed. It is necessary to purchase equipment, start production and organize advertising and logistics. As a rule, it is necessary to sow barley, corn and other cereals and legumes for making mixed fodder. And for herb flour it's better to grow alfalfa.

It is much more profitable to produce mixed fodder than to engage in animal husbandry. Less risks and unusual situations. Animals are sick. They need vaccination and veterinary support. How many pigs were destroyed because of the plague, and birds because of bird flu! Dairy farms suffer losses due to cow rabies and foot and mouth disease. Epidemic of coccidiosis and myxomatosis occur on rabbit breeding farms.

We need to organize the processing of products and sales. Meat, eggs and dairy products are perishable goods. And the competition is high. A lot of problems, it's hard to be a profitable farm, doing livestock.

The production of animal feed is a once-established system of generating income. Feedstock has a long shelf life. He is always in demand. Feed mixes are in demand by large farms and private traders. The demand for quality mixed fodder, herbal flour and granules only grows. But proposals for the sale of granulated herbal flour is not enough. So this niche is still a little busy and has great prospects for development.

How much can grass meal cost

The product is mainly sold in granular form, because it is so cheaper and more convenient to transport it. How much does the herbal meal cost? The price depends on which party the buyer purchases. The minimum purchase - 1 bag (25 kg) - with VAT will cost an average of 700 rubles. Wholesale granules are delivered in bags, big bags and embankments. Therefore, prices can vary (10 000-15 000 rubles per ton). It turns out 10-15 rubles per kilogram for wholesale buyers. Retail purchase for a private trader will cost 2 times more.

Herbal granules seem more expensive than conventional feeds. But it's worth considering a comparison to understand how beneficial it is to feed the animals. When feeding herbal granules in comparison with conventional forages, the weight gain of cattle and foals will be 20% more. Pigs gain in weight by 15% more, and the bird - by 10%. All this against the background of the fact that feed is required for 10% less than usual. And with recalculation it turns out that feeding animals with granules is beneficial.

The production of granules from vitamin herbal flour is a wonderful business idea. That is why this niche will eventually be filled, and in view of competition the price of the product will begin to decline. Then feeding pellets will be even more profitable.

How to Feed Animal Pellets

Clean herbal granules or mixed fodder with herbal flour can feed animals in dry form, especially rabbits and horses. In private farmsteads, 1.5 kg of granules are soaked with 6 liters of water, and then this mass is fed to cows. Pigs should also make a mash, so the product is better absorbed. Bird granules are also better to soak.

In a private farmstead granules from grassy flour of cows and sheep are fed only in the cold season. In summer, as a rule, they graze and eat fresh grass.

In addition, the storage of granulated food requires very little space, unlike hay or silage. Owners from private farms are very pleased with the fact that the granules are long and well kept, they are called herbal canned food. This is much more convenient than storing fodder or sugar beet and potatoes. As vegetables can freeze, spoil, and granules, on the contrary, on a cold even better keep all the useful qualities.

A bit of history

Herbal flour in our country began to be produced in the 70s of last century. It was mainly used in poultry farming. It was noticed that when it is used, the bird develops rapidly, it has good immunity, egg production increases by 10%, and qualitative breeding material is obtained.

The production of herbal flour in the USSR developed very rapidly. For example: in 1965, 82 thousand tons of green flour were produced, in 1970 - 820 thousand tons, and in 1975 - more than four million tons.

At the end of the last century, in connection with the development of new technologies, concentrated vitamin supplements appeared, and herbal flours began to be produced much less. But soon the livestock industry returned to an ecologically pure product - herbal flour. The fact is that it contains large amounts of proteins, fats, and not just vitamins. For the convenience of using such a unique product, the flour was produced in a granular form, and it began to gain popularity rapidly.

In general, herbal flour in the form of granules is a wonderful product in its pure form and as a component of grain feed. Behind these fodder is the future. The food is universal, it can feed all kinds of pets and poultry. Animals consuming herbal flour and granules from it, get a full meal. This provides rapid growth, good immunity and productivity. Cows produce more milk with a high fat content, and chickens carry eggs more. Feeding with granules and grass meal makes it easier to care for animals.