Feed Supplements and Feed Additives

Feed Supplements:
Feed supplements are compounds used to improve the nutritional value of basal feeds to address any deficiencies.

• Vitamin Supplements:
  1. Essential for livestock rations, especially when feedstuffs are deficient in certain vitamins.
  2. Can be provided as individual vitamins or vitamin mixtures.
  3. Commercial vitamin mixtures include brands like Rovimix, Vitablend, and Arivit.

• Mineral Supplements:
  1. The mineral content of feedstuffs depends on soil profile and genetic variations.
  2. Mineral requirements vary based on age, size, sex, and stage of production.
  3. To address mineral deficiencies, sources like bone meal, common salt, calcium carbonate, and rock phosphate are used.
  4. Common commercial mineral mixtures include Minimix, Milkmin, Nutrimilk, and Aromin.

Feed Additives:
Feed additives are non-nutritive substances added in small quantities to enhance feed efficiency and the animal’s performance. They don’t provide nutrients or treat diseases.

Importance of Feed Additives:

1. Protection: Protects against undesirable environmental influences.
2. Nutritional Behavior: Alters the nutritional behavior of animals.
3. Prevent Biochemical Reactions: Prevents harmful biochemical reactions in the feed.
4. Improved Feed Efficiency: Enhances feed efficiency and the performance of animals.

Common Feed Additives:

Antibiotics:

• • Purpose: Inhibit bacterial growth or kill bacteria.
  • Common Examples: Terramycin, Zinc bacitracin, Flavomycin.
  • Usage: Often used in calves up to 3 months and poultry up to 8-10 weeks of age.
  • Benefits: Help control subclinical infections, increase nutrient absorption, and support growth.

Enzymes:

• • Purpose: Biological catalysts produced by living cells that improve digestion.
  • Benefits: Enhance digestibility of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and other feed ingredients.

Hormones:

• • Purpose: Chemical substances produced by endocrine glands, used to enhance growth, reproduction, and other body functions.
  • Examples: Diethylstilboestrol, estrogen, progesterone.

Thyroproteins:

• • Purpose: Supplements thyroid hormone action, stimulating milk production, growth, and fattening.

Probiotics:

• • Purpose: Live cultures of beneficial bacteria (e.g., Lactobacillus).
  • Benefits: Improve gut health, feed efficiency, growth, and milk production.

Biostimulators:

• • Purpose: Extracts from living organs (e.g., spleen, liver) to stimulate protein metabolism.
  • Benefits: Increase nitrogen retention.

Antioxidants:

• • Purpose: Prevent oxidative rancidity in fats and preserve vitamins (A, D, E, and K).
  • Common Examples: Vitamin E (Tocopherol), BHT (Butylated HydroxyToluene).

Mould Inhibitors:

• • Purpose: Inhibit the growth of mould or fungus in high-moisture feed.
  • Common Examples: Propionic acid, acetic acid, sodium propionate.

Pellet Binders:

• • Purpose: Used to bind mash feed into small cylindrical pellets.
  • Benefits: Increase stickiness and firmness of the pellets.
  • Usage: Can be added up to 2-2.5% of the ration.

Coccidiostats:

• Purpose: Prevent protozoal diseases like coccidiosis in calves and poultry.
• Common Examples: Amprolium, Furazolidon.

Four General Types of Feed Additives:

1. Sensory Additives: Stimulate an animal’s appetite.
2. Nutritional Additives: Provide a specific nutrient that may be deficient in the diet.
3. Zootechnical Additives: Improve the overall nutritional value of the animal’s diet.
4. Coccidiostats and Histomonostats: Antibiotics used to kill or inhibit protozoa. These have been replaced with probiotics in many countries.