A minerals rich block for your cow

Mar 27, 2017

Animals that do not get enough minerals in their bodies depleting their body reserves

What do you do with the bones after meal time? The answer is rather straightforward to many; throw them in the rubbish bin.

For Kyambogo University Agriculture Students' Association, bones are still useful, even after you are done with your sumptuous meal.

Being a rich source of calcium, the bones are used to make an innovative product named "mineral lick" that is later fed to animals.

"When we get bones, burn them to a certain degree, and then crush them into small pieces. All the calcium which was in the small bones have not been put to waste," explains Balam Twinamatsiko, a member of the association.

After crushing the bones into a fine powder, other ingredients are mixed with the fine bones to a right consistence.

"You then get iodized salt, and then red soil contains iron, which helps animals in oxygen transportation in blood. After getting these ingredients, get four portions of bone meal."

Okra juice is used to prevent the lick block from breaking easily and acts as a blinder.

Kimuri Frederick, also a member of the association says with this mineral lick, one who has a dairy cow will get more milk out of the animal.

"We want more milk, more meat from our animals, but we do not want to give our animals more minerals for their bodies," he says.

Kimuri says animals that do not get enough minerals in their bodies depleting their body reserves.

"We want to make sure that animals get calcium from other sources before they deplete the calcium reserves in the body."

Calcium also helps in the enzyme process in digestion.

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