If you own or manage a poultry or cattle farm, then you probably take your animals’ health and nutrition very seriously. This means that you will be doing everything in your power to make sure that your cows, pigs, chickens, and any other livestock you have on the farm are eating the best feed possible.
But what exactly is bio feed? And how does it benefit your farm? To answer these questions and more, let’s take a closer look at bio feed and why it’s so important to livestock farmers and their animals.
A Brief Introduction
The benefits of using animal waste in livestock farming are well-documented, but some farmers might be hesitant to get started. Fear not! In today’s post, we’ll discuss what bio feed is and how it can help small farmers. What is Bio Feed? It may seem silly to write a paragraph about something that seems so self-explanatory, but there’s actually a lot of confusion around bio feed.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The downside to using bio feed as a farmer in Nigeria, however, is that many farmers are still ignorant of its advantages and disadvantages. Many farmers who have tried bio feed have not been completely satisfied with its results. There are reports of some poultry and pig farmers abandoning their use of bio feed due to their poor experience.
While we cannot speak for all farmers’ experiences with bio-feed, it can certainly be said that for most livestock farming purposes, there is no better alternative to commercial animal feed than naturally produced bio-feeds for poultry and pig farms. The case for adopting natural feeds as a low-cost solution to improving livestock health lies within our benefits section below.
Usage of Biofeed
Generally, BIO-FEED which includes farm-grown feed for livestock, home composted manure for growing crops, recycling of manure from livestock to crops, and stall feeding is an emerging livestock production technology. With these new methodologies, there is an attempt to come up with sustainable practices in order to increase food security through local production methods.
The three key areas of biotechnology needed in small-scale animal farming in Nigeria are grazing, fertilization, nutrition as well as disease control. The need for biotechnology in animal production was due to existing constraints of conventional high input systems (chemical or synthetic). The animals that thrive best on natural pastures are ruminants like cattle (sheep, goats, etc.) – ruminants convert grass into food better than other types of animals.
Future Prospects
As human populations grow, so does the demand for meat. To meet that demand, farmers need to become more efficient in their livestock production. One way to do that is by switching from traditional feed sources to a bio-feed supplement like soybean meal or cottonseed meal.
If a bio-feed product costs farmers 15% less than traditional feed, then they can reinvest those savings into their business while still increasing profitability over time. It’s a win-win situation! I recommend watching out for new posts where you’ll find more information.
Conclusion
There are all sorts of uses for bio feed in livestock farming, ranging from increasing goat growth to mitigating respiratory disease in poultry. Whether you’re a cattle rancher or a chicken farmer, using bio-feed can result in positive changes to your herd’s health and productivity.
Keep an eye out for future articles that go into more detail about using bio feed on farms of different sizes!
