Mineral mixtures from solid salt residues for lambs

Abstract

-The objective of this study was to evaluate water, mineral, feed and nutrient voluntary intakes, in addition to dry matter and nutrient digestibility and the nitrogen balance of lambs fed three mineral supplements. The first treatment consisted of solid salt residue (SSR) from an aquaculture tank; the second contained SSR from desalination waste; and the third treatment was control, which corresponded to the supplementation of a commercial mineral supplement. The study lasted 20 days, the first 15 of which were used for animals to adapt to the pens and diets, and the last five days were used for data collection. Twenty-four castrated male lambs with a body weight of 19.72±2.52 kg were utilized in the experiment. The mineral supplements evaluated did not affect the intake and digestibility of the dry matter and nutrients, the water and mineral-salt intake or nitrogen balance. Mineral supplements produced from the SSR from aquaculture tanks and from the desalination waste did not reduce feed, nutrient and water intakes or nutrient digestibility, which suggests that these raw materials can be used in the elaboration of mineral mixtures for lambs.

Chemical Composition of Saline Sources as Suppliers of Minerals for Ruminants

“…The concentrations of Cr, Pb and Cd were found to be the most restrictive factors for the use of the residues for mineral mix, presenting concentrations that exceeded the safe levels. Manera et al (2014) included 20% of APSR in mineral mix for lambs and observed that mineral and feed intakes, as well as water intake, were similar for animals receiving commercial supplement compared to those consuming the mineral supplement made from APSR. The hydric balance and the dry matter digestibility were not affected by mineral supplements (Manera et al, 2014), which is an indicative of the possibility to include this solid residue in mineral mix for lambs.…”

“…Manera et al (2014) included 20% of APSR in mineral mix for lambs and observed that mineral and feed intakes, as well as water intake, were similar for animals receiving commercial supplement compared to those consuming the mineral supplement made from APSR. The hydric balance and the dry matter digestibility were not affected by mineral supplements (Manera et al, 2014), which is an indicative of the possibility to include this solid residue in mineral mix for lambs. However, additional research is needed to better understand the response of the animals to these sources, apart from the examination of the economic viability of the process.…”

“…The Brazilian semi-arid presents mineral sources currently regarded as environmental pollutants, which may be evaluated as sources to mineral mix, as is the case of solid residues from desalination waste, aquaculture ponds and saline water (Manera et al, 2014).…”