Blood meal is a dry, inert powder made from blood, used as a high-nitrogen organic fertilizer and a high protein animal feed. By weight, it is generally 12% nitrogen with trace amounts (≤1%) of phosphorus and potassium.
Uses
Dietary supplement
Blood meal can be used as a
livestock dietary supplement and is mainly added to supply dietary
lysine for cattle, fish and poultry.
Prior to use, it is sometimes mixed with
molasses.
Organic fertilizers
Blood meal,
bone meal, and other animal by-products are permitted in certified organic production as soil amendments, though they cannot be fed to organic livestock. Blood meal is different from
bone meal in that blood meal contains a higher amount of nitrogen, while bone meal contains phosphorus. Alternatives to Blood Meal include
feather meal and alfalfa meal.
Blood meal is sometimes used as a
composting activator.
Pest control
Blood meal can be spread on gardens to deter pest animals such as
. The theory is that the animals smell the blood and are repelled by the odor.
Classifications
-
It is a proteinaceous concentrate according to classifications of feed.
-
It is a protein-yielding feedstuff according to classifications of feedstuffs.
Processing
Last updated on March 31, 2016, 10:31
See also
