Inclusion Rate of Blood Meal In Cow Feed

Going to a decade in the livestock and general agriculture industry, I have always advocated for end-to-end and zero-waste agriculture where farm produce is fully utilized to derive maximum benefits. The use of blood meal in cow feed is a step in sustainable livestock production. Blood meal is a valuable protein source in livestock feed.

Blood meal is essentially valuable in cow diet because it contains up to 80 percent rumen by-pass protein. Not all protein sources are utilized by cattle because of the action of the rumen, in the case of blood meal, about 80 percent of the protein the blood meal is utilized by cows, this explains why blood meal is very valuable in cattle feed.

Growing calves, lactating cows, and dairy cows benefit more from the nutritional value of blood meal because these categories of cattle need high levels of rumen by-pass proteins for their active growth and milk production.

Nutrient Composition of Blood Meal

Blood meal contain about 90 – 95 percent crude protein and is very rich in iron and other essential minerals like calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and manganese. Blood meal contains more essential amino acids profile than soybean meal.

Composition	Unit (% DM)
Crude Protein	94
Crude fibre	0.5
NDF	12.8
Ether extract	1.5. – 3.0
Ash	3.0
Energy (MJ/KgDM)	24
Iron mg/kg DM	2186
Zinc mg/kg DM	24
Copper mg/kg DM	6
Sodium g/kg DM	4.5
Potassium g/kg DM	3.8
Phosphorus g/kg DM	2.2
Calcium g/kg DM	1.3
Magnesium g/kg DM	0.2
Manganese mg/kg DM	1

Blood Meal Amino Acid Profile

Composition	Unit (%protein)
Leucine	12.1
Aspartic acid	10.7
Glutamic acid	9.5
Lysine	8.7
Valine	8.5
Alanine	7.9
Phenylalanine	6.9
Histidine	6.2
Serine	4.9
Threonine	4.7
Glycine	4.5
Arginine	4.2
Proline	4.0
Tyrosine	3.0
Tryptophan	1.4
Methionine	1.2
Isoleucine	1.1
Cystine	1.1

Inclusion Level of Blood Meal in Cow’s Feed

Blood meal can be fed to cattle as a protein supplement. The typical inclusion rate of blood meal is 1-3 percent of the total ration in cow’s feed depending on the age and physiological state of the cattle.

Blood meal is compounded with other conventional feed ingredients like corn, barley, or wheat bran to provide a balanced diet and complement the low nutrients in blood meal. The protein in blood meal complements the energy from the grains.

For steers and in calves, about 3 percent of blood meal is added to their feed. Actively growing calves needs more protein than mature and adult cattle; blood meal increases the daily weight gain, dry matter intake and energy intake.

For dairy cows, about 1 – 2 percent of blood meal is added to dairy cow’s feed. This inclusion level improves and increases milk production and supports the well-being of the cow during the lactating period, providing the required protein and energy for milk production.

Blood meal does not negatively affect the taste, texture, or color of beef or milk. Meat from cattle fed blood meal is comparable to conventionally raised beef just like the milk produced by the cows too. Care should be taken not to exceed recommended inclusion rates to prevent negative effects like poor palatability and reduced intake of the feed

Generally, feeding blood meal to cows will increase weight gain, milk production, and feed efficiency. The high-quality bypass protein helps cattle build muscle in steer and young calves. It also increases milk production and volume in dairy cows.