Needle Meal

a high-vitamin feed for agricultural animals, obtained from the artificially dried needles of fir or pine. Needle meal is produced primarily during the winter logging season, since in the spring and summer the needles have a greater amount of essential oils. The needles and small twigs are separated from the branches with special devices and are then chopped up, dried, and ground; when feeding animals directly, the needles are ground without being dried. In 1 kg of needle meal, there are 0.4 feed units and approximately 37 g of digestible protein. The meal contains carotene, the vitamins B₂, C, PP, and E, and calcium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, and other mineral substances. All agricultural animals are fed this meal, especially during the winter and spring. Needle meal is added to mixed feeds in amounts ranging from 3 to 5 percent.