Animal feed conversion is the ratio of the amount of an animal feedstuff consumed divided by the weight gain of the animal. The efficiency of feed conversion varies by animal species, weight and age. The objective of feed conversion is to produce the maximum amount of animal product per unit of feedstuff consumed.
A primary factor determining feed conversion efficiency is gut health
A healthy digestive system allows animals to extract more nutrients from their feed, resulting in less feed being required to achieve the same level of growth.
Ways to Optimise Gut Health
– Providing a healthy, safe environment
– Feeding a nutrient dense diet
– Supplying free-choice (organic) minerals
– Paddock rotation
– Avoiding stress
– Ensuring adequate hydration
Soil biology is key to healthy grazing and the production of nutrient dense forage
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in using Biological Fertilisers to improve the nutrient density of food for livestock and grazing pastures. This is due to the fact that these fertilisers can help to improve soil fertility, which in turn assists the uptake of nutrients by plants.
Biological Fertiliser for Nutrient Dense Grazing
Biological Fertiliser can be particularly beneficial for grassland ecosystems, where the over grazing of animals can often lead to a loss of nutrients from the soil.
Biological Fertilisers contribute to improved soil fertility, which can help to improve the yield of crops. They enrich the quality of grazing pastures, and are a very effective way of improving the nutrient density of pastures for livestock.
Biological Nutrition to Improve Animal Gut Health
Why does naturally fermented Liquid Seaweed make a premium livestock mineral supplement?
1. Seaweed has the highest diversity of organic minerals compared to any organic plant. For example, there are 7 primary minerals that cows need, cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc, and all of them are found in Seaweed.
2. Chelated (naturally cold-processed) Seaweed is easy to digest. Dried seaweed is difficult for animals to digest. When processed through natural fermentation, the seaweed becomes ‘pre-digested’, and easy for the animals to absorb.
3. Animals love the taste. We heard a story about a sheep farmer that lived on the coast of Australia, and one day noticed his sheep eating the seaweed that had washed up. The farmer trusted the animals instinct and started making Seaweed Tea for them. His sheep became the healthiest around and offered the highest grade wool.
4. Calms and satisfies animals. Gut microbes are greatly affected by stress, which can lead to changes in metabolism, appetite, immunity and behaviour. Animals getting balanced nutrition have been shown to become more content as a result.
5. Cost effective. Liquid Seaweed Probiotic Supplements can be a cost effective way to ensure animals are getting their daily mineral intake.
SONIC naturally cold processed Liquid Seaweed for Livestock works directly on animal gut health to enhance nutrient absorption, and delivers organic minerals and trace elements in a bio-available state.
Digestion optimiser
Probiotics and prebiotics are two important components of a healthy gut microbiome. The benefits of giving Bio-available Seaweed (Kelp) Minerals to livestock is that the seaweed is a prebiotic, or a non-digestible carbohydrate that acts as food for beneficial gut flora.
Liquid Seaweed is effective in optimising digestive abilities due to the high levels of enzymes, minerals, and vitamins, which are essential for proper digestion and absorption of nutrients.
Natural probiotics, used in the fermentation process, also have health-promoting benefits when consumed, to create an all round premium mineral supplement and digestive toner.
Farm resilience
As a natural progression, beneficial microbes that accumulate in the droppings get spread all over the ground, which enriches the soil and makes the soil on the farm healthier and the plants more resilient.
The increased microbial activity results in better soil structure, improved water infiltration and increased nutrient density of feed or produce, contributing to improved animal gut health and optimised feed conversions.
You might also be interested in reading article ‘The Ultimate Nutrient Dense Diet for Livestock’.
RELATED EXTERNAL LINKS
Regenerative Livestock Farming Educational Videos
Planet Friendly
BIOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS
for SOIL, CROP
& LIVESTOCK
Maximise Mineral Nutrition with Probiotic Liquid Seaweed
- Optimise digestive function
- Decrease worms and gut borne diseases
- Improve feed utilisation & nutrient conversion
- Assist animals under stress
How to use Liquid Seaweed Supplements
SONIC cold processed Liquid Seaweed for animals is a chelated mineral concentrate, added to animal feed or water, or administered, undiluted, as a drench. See Application Rates and Methods. It can also be used as an inoculant on hay, as a grain soak (activator) or sprayed on grazing land. Find out more.
CHELATED SEAWEED
for LIVESTOCK
On-Farm Production
& Bulk Supplies
