Animal feed

Calcium is an essential nutrient for the development of most animals. It helps strengthen bones, improves the solidity of eggs... Carmeuse calcium carbonate delivers the best product quality and consistency, ensuring minerals and nutritional supplements for a well-balanced animal feed.

  • Mr XXXX from Navos a.s. in Czech Republic

    Client/Partner: 
    Navos a.s.
    Product:

    NUTRICALCO

    Application:

    Animal feed

    Use of Calcium Carbonate in premixes for cattle

  • Problems

    Compound feed

    The daily feeding stuff ration for an animal is defined by the European Regulation 1831/2003 on animal nutrition additives as “the average total quantity of feeding-stuffs, calculated on a moisture content of 12 %, required daily by an animal of a given species, age category and yield, to satisfy all its needs.” Compound feed means mixtures of feed materials, which may or may not contain additives, for oral animal feeding in the form of complete or complementary feed.

    Minerals and nutritional supplements

    Feed providing protein, energy and fiber is essential, but it does not meet all the needs of animals. Cattle and poultry all need minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium. Their needs for these minerals are even greater in certain maturity periods, such as during milk production.

    Why is Calcium so important?

    • Calcium plays a major role in the absorption of nutrients (modification of the cell permeability), as well as in blood clotting.
    • It is a key mineral for egg-shell formation in poultry laying flocks.
    • Calcium helps cattle to grow strongly by encouraging good bone development.

    Risks due to a lack of Calcium:

    • Skeletal and bone problems
    • Reduced appetite
    • Increased sensitivity to parasitic diseases

    Solutions

    Compound feed

    • Compound feed is complementary feed that includes minerals. Calcium is a key element of these minerals.
    • Compound feed generally contains 2 to 4% of minerals, vitamins and additives. Carmeuse offers a high-quality calcium carbonate aimed at meeting cattle’s calcium needs.

    Minerals and nutritional supplements

    Nutritionists and research institutes have developed tables defining animals’ needs by their type and age. To meet these needs and feed requirements (mainly fodder for livestock), they offer mineral compound with vitamin supplements or premixes. These premixes often contain 40 to 70% high-quality calcium carbonate.

    Carmeuse focuses on the quality of the calcium carbonate delivered in its vitamin and mineral supplements.

     
    Distribution methods for Calcium Carbonate:

    • Alone, in the form of powder or pellets in feeding troughs
    • Or compacted in the form of lick-blocks together with minerals, mineral nutrients and vitamins

    Compacted and homogeneous products allow: 

    • Reduced losses to wind and at the bottom of feeding troughs
    • Coarser meals from 0.2 to 1.5 mm
    • A minimum calcium content of 38%
    • A limited ratio of hydrochloric insoluble elements
    • Regular physico-chemical analyses

    Good to know:

    Thanks to balanced feed, meat produced today contains less fat.

    Have a look at our references