Blood meal
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 of phosphorus and potassium. It is one of the highest non-synthetic sources of nitrogen. It usually comes from cattle or hogs as a slaughterhouse by-product.
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.Feeding blood products to ruminants is illegal in the United Kingdom and European Union, in part due to the risk posed by transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
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 rabbits. 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
Blood meal is sometimes made from fish, mixed with bone meal, and other types. These types depend on the source and processing of the blood meal.