Solid animal feed supplement

Abstract

There is disclosed an animal feed supplement in solid, block form which is sufficiently palatable to permit its free choice feeding and which contains the proper proportions of molasses and/or fat to supply the energy requirements for maintenance and weight gain of the animals. The feed supplement blocks intended for consumption by ruminants also contain a high level of protein derived from nonprotein nitrogen as well as natural protein to function as a supplementary protein source. The feed supplement includes molasses in a major proportion, and solidifying ingredients comprising a phosphate and an oxide or salt of a metal such as aluminum magnesium or calcium, in quantities sufficient to solidify the supplement into solid, block form. The preferred metal ingredient is calcium as the oxide and/or sulfate. The composition can also contain an edible fat or oil and a fat emulsifying agent in sufficient quantity to prevent separation of the fat from the product. In the preferred embodiment, the emulsifying agent is starch which is employed in sufficient quantities to accelerate the hardening of the block. Other components which can, optionally, be included in the block include limited quantities of trace minerals, antibiotics and vitamins. The fat component can also contain an antioxidant to inhibit degradation of the product. The composition is prepared by admixing the ingredients in a manner which permits the in situ reaction of the phosphate source and the alkaline earth metal ingredient. Typically, the ingredients are heated and stirred to disperse the solid components and maintained at a moderate temperature, e.g., about 95 degrees F., for a period of approximately 30 minutes, at which time the mixture thickens substantially. The mixture is then poured into molds or packages and permitted to solidify, reaching a sufficient integrity in a period of from 8 to 10 hours to permit the products to be stacked on pallets for storage and shipping.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.