Fodder and fodder additives promoting the weight increase of domestic animals and a process for the use thereof

Fodder and fodder additives promoting the weight increase of domestic animals, and a process for the use thereof. The fodder and fodder additives of the invention contain stable complexes of titanium formed with ascorbic acid, o-dihydroxybenzene, dihydroxy naphthalene disulfonic acids, hydroxy carboxylic acids or polyhydroxy carboxylic acids or the salts thereof, preferably in a quantity of 0.001-6.00 percent by weight of the whole. Optionally, compounds exerting a preserving effect, preferably in a quantity of 0.01-2.0 percent by weight of the titanium complex, can be added, besides the usual components and additives of the fodder. The fodder and fodder additives of the invention promote the weight increase of domestic animals and reduce the specific fodder consumption.

The invention relates to fodder and fodder additives promoting the weight 
increase of domestic animals as well as to a process for the use thereof. 
All over the world agriculturalists are making significant efforts to 
produce more and more valuable food raw materials for the increasing world 
population. In the case of animal fodder--e.g. corn ensilage, lucerne 
meal, the hay of fodder-plants and so on--different supplementary 
substances are admixed which improve the utilization of the fodder and 
ensure that the domestic animals reach the desired weight for slaughter 
within the shortest possible time. These supplementary substances comprise 
vitamins, hormones, antibiotics and trace elements. 
It has long been known that every living organism needs micronutrients, 
that is, trace elements, as well as macronutrients, for the undisturbed 
occurrence of the biochemical processes. The most important trace elements 
are iron, manganese, zinc, copper, molybdenum and iodine. The trace 
elements exert their activity first of all as components of enzymes or as 
activators thereof. A lack of trace elements can cause metabolic 
disorders; hence the trace elements are of great importance for animal 
feeding. Nowadays there are detailed tables available from which the 
recommended trace element content of the fodder for the individual kinds 
of domestic animals can be determined. 
It is an object of the invention to provide simple and cheap fodder 
additives and fodder containing the same, which promote the weight 
increase of domestic animals. 
It is another object of the invention to provide a process for the use of 
these fodders and fodder additives. 
The invention is based on the recognition that the fodder utilization of 
domestic animals can be increased by the addition thereto of water-soluble 
titanium complexes. 
As a result of research work of many years, it has been observed that 
titanium exerts an advantageous effect on the redoxy enzyme activity of 
domestic animals and thus on the biochemical processes taking place. 
A further feature of the invention is the recognition that the stability of 
the water-soluble titanium chelates against oxidation and microorganisms 
can be increased by adding substances having a preserving effect. 
Therefore, the addition of compounds having a preserving effect to the 
fodder and fodder additives containing titanium complexes according to the 
invention is desirable if they are stored in a wet environment or under 
high atmospheric humidity. 
Accordingly, the invention relates to fodder and fodder additives promoting 
the weight increase of domestic animals. It is characteristic of the 
fodder and fodder additives of the invention that they contain 
water-soluble, stable complexes of the titanium formed with ascorbic acid, 
o-dihydroxybenzene, dihydroxy naphthalene disulfonic acids, hydroxy 
carboxylic acids or polyhydroxy carboxylic acids or the salts thereof, in 
a quantity of 0.001-6.0 percent by weight of the whole, and optionally 
compounds exerting a preserving effect in a quantity of 0.01-2.0 percent 
by weight of the titanium chelate. 
Accordingly, the fodder and fodder additives of the invention contain, 
besides the usual supplementary additives such as vitamins, hormones, 
antibiotics, conventional trace elements and so on, at least 0.001 percent 
by weight of the whole, of titanium agents in the form of stable 
complexes. 
Taking into consideration that the quantity of titanium intake related to 
the weight of the body is suitably 1-10 mg/kg/day, the fodder and fodder 
additives of the invention contain preferably 0.005-0.20 percent by weight 
of titanium. A further increase of the titanium content does not cause a 
further increase in weight gain but it does not harm the animals. 
As water-soluble stable titanium complexes preferably the compounds of 
titanium formed with ascorbic acid, o-phenolcarboxylic acids and 
dihydroxynaphthaline derivatives, e.g. with salicylic acid, 
p-amino-salicylic acid, 5-sulfosalicylic acid, pyrocatechol, or 
chromotropic acid can be used. The complex formed with ascorbic acid is 
particularly preferred. 
As compounds having a preserving effect preferably sorbic acid, benzoic 
acid, salicylic acid, p-chlorobenzoic acid, propionic acid or the salts of 
these acids or hexamethylenetetramine can be used. 
The effect promoting the weight increase of the domestic animals of the 
titanium complexes added to the fodder or fodder additives has been proven 
in numerous large-scale tests. It has been found that--if the desired 
effect is to be achieved--the titanium has to be ingested by the animal in 
water-soluble form and at a time when the animal is preferably still young 
(in mammals after delactation). 
In feeding experiments it has been found that a significant weight increase 
and parallel to it a specific fodder saving can be attained due to the 
titanium complex added to the fodder. In the course of these experiments 
no veterinary problems, harmful clinical symptoms or pathological changes 
were observed. 
In the course of the feeding experiments several series of tests were 
carried out in order to find out whether the complex-forming compound 
itself is responsible for the advantageous effect. In these series of 
experiments besides the control group a further group of animals was fed 
the fodder, with which no titanium but only a complexing agent was 
admixed. In individual cases in this group, too, a slight positive effect 
was observed which, however, could not be compared with the much greater 
positive effect of the titanium complex. 
As the necessary quantity of titanium related to the live weight (1 to 10 
mg/kg/day) is very small, the titanium complex has to be admixed with the 
fodder very uniformly. Suitably fodder lime, bone meal or the mineral 
substances usual as fodder supplements are used for the necessary 
dilutents. 
The main advantage of the invention resides in the fact that it renders 
possible an increase of the weight gain of domestic animals and at the 
same time a reduction of the specific fodder requirement in a simple and 
cheap way and this is of extraordinary importance in the present situation 
of "protein hunger" all over the world. 
The invention is further illustrated with the help of the following 
examples:

EXAMPLE 1 
100 to 400 ml of titanium tetrachloride are added to 0.5 to 2.0 kg of solid 
ascorbic acid in small portions with constant stirring and evacuation of 
the formed hydrochloric acid gas. The slowly hardening product, a 
yellowish or rust-colored mass, is carefully homogenized in a grinder with 
nearly the same quantity of fodder lime. The obtained mixture is admixed 
with 100 to 1600 kg of commercial chicken fodder. 
An experiment was carried out with the fodder obtained in this way, on 
3.times.60 chickens chosen after a two-week prebreeding and it was 
repeated four times, that is in every group of 4.times.15 chickens. The 60 
chickens of the first group got the usual fodder, the 60 chickens of the 
second group got fodder admixed with ascorbic acid and the 60 animals of 
the third group were fed fodder containing the titanium complex. After 
five weeks of feeding the weight of the chickens fed with the fodder 
containing the titanium complex was significantly higher by 5% than that 
of the control group. The results are summarized in Table 1. 
TABLE 1 
______________________________________ 
Results of Experiments Carried 
Out on Broiler Chickens 
Weight of the Difference 
Specific 
Animals, g in Weight Fodder 
30th 41st 51st from the 
Consumption, 
Fodder day day day Control, g 
kg 
______________________________________ 
Normal, no 
560.3 1006.8 1327.5 
0 2.89 
additive 
Chelating 
569.5 1010.2 1333.2 
5.7 2.89 
agent 
Titanium 
586.5 1042.2 1395.2 
67.7 2.73 
chelate 
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EXAMPLE 2 
The mixture of Example 1 of a chelate complex and lime was admixed with 
duck fodder in a quantity corresponding to a titanium dose of 1-2 
mg/kg/day. The feeding experiments were carried out on a group of hybrid 
ducks (house duck, wild duck). The weight of the 3.times.50 treated and 
the 3.times.50 animals serving as controls was determined weekly, and the 
specific fodder consumption per 1 kg of live weight was calculated. The 
results are summarized in Table 2. 
TABLE 2 
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Results of Experiments Carried 
Out on Ducks (F-2 hybrids) 
Average Weight, kg 
After Fodder Consumption 
4 5 6 Wks. kg/kg Live Weight 
______________________________________ 
Control 0.82 0.94 1.12 3.59 
Treated 0.84 1.03 1.22 3.21 
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EXAMPLE 3 
Feeding experiments were carried out on 3-week-old geese in the course of 
which the animals got the titanium chelate in capsules. Every group (fed 
with normal fodder, with fodder containing a complexing agent and a 
titanium complex, respectively) consisted of 10 animals. After two weeks 
the weight of the test animals was determined and the specific fodder 
consumption was defined. As it is seen in Table 3, the advantageous effect 
is obvious in this case, too. Presumably the result would have been still 
better if the administration of the capsules had not caused a stress 
effect. 
TABLE 3 
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Results of Experiments Carried Out on Geese 
Difference in 
Specific Fodder 
Weight from Consumption, kg/kg 
Treatment 
Weight, g the Control, g 
Live Weight 
______________________________________ 
Control 3312 0 2.98 
Chelating 
3314 +2 3.20 
agent 
Titanium 
3461 +149 2.89 
complex 
______________________________________ 
EXAMPLE 4 
Feeding tests were carried out on female young pigs for more than four 
months, wherein 30 animals formed the control group and another 30 animals 
got fodder containing titanium chelate. The weight of the animals measured 
completely identically was determined. The average weights of the two 
groups are included in Table 4 (an average of 28 animals each because two 
animals of every group were removed in the course of the test). 
TABLE 4 
______________________________________ 
Feeding Test on Female Young Pigs 
Average Weight Increase 
of an Animal, kg After 
Treatment 5 8 Weeks 
______________________________________ 
Control 21.2 29.4 
Treated 23.5 33.2 
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EXAMPLE 5 
Feeding tests were carried out on lambs for more than two months. 50 of the 
male animals 70 days old formed the control group and 50 were fed with 
fodder containing titanium chelate. The average starting weight of the 
animals of the control group was 19.48 kg, that of the treated group 19.70 
kg The animals of the test group ingested a quantity of chelate 
corresponding to 25 mg of titanium every day. 
At the end of the test the average weight of the animals of the control 
group was 38.52 kg while that of the animals of the test group amounted to 
41.52 kg. That means a 14.6% greater weight increase, which corresponds to 
a significant saving of fodder since the animals received identical 
quantities of fodder. 
EXAMPLE 6 
Feeding tests were carried out on 300 rabbits. 150 of which formed the 
control group and were fed with the usual rabbit fodder while the other 
150 animals got titanium complex in a quantity of 2 mg/kg/day titanium 
admixed with the fodder. At the beginning of the test the average weight 
of the animals of the control group was 643 g, that of the animals of the 
test group 646 g. In the course of the experiment lasting 36 days, it 
could be observed that the animals of the test group had a better 
appetite. On the 36th day the animals were weighed. The average weight 
increase in the test group was 1006 g, but in the control group only 956 
g, which corresponds to a difference of 5.2%. This is a significant result 
in intensive animal keeping. 
EXAMPLE 7 
A pig fattening test lasting 76 days was carried out wherein 134 pigs 
formed the control group and the same number of animals the test group fed 
with fodder containing titanium chelate. Table 5 shows the advantageous 
effect of the chelate complex. 
TABLE 5 
______________________________________ 
Results of Pig Fattening Test 
Average Daily 
Weight Increase 
Specific Fodder 
Treatment g % Consumption 
______________________________________ 
Control 451.7 100 2.71 kg (100%) 
Treated 512.5 113.4 2.38 kg (87.8%) 
______________________________________ 
EXAMPLE 8 
Feeding tests were carried out on sheep for two months wherein the control 
group consisted of 50 animals and another 50 animals were fed with fodder 
containing titanium chelate. At the end of this test the weight of the 
animals was determined and the specific fodder amount was calculated. The 
results are summarized in Table 6. 
TABLE 6 
______________________________________ 
Results of Feeding Tests Carried Out on Sheep 
Average Daily 
Specific Fodder 
Weight Increase 
Consumption 
Treatment g % kg % 
______________________________________ 
Control 277.0 100 6.20 100 
Treated 361.3 130.4 5.11 82.4 
______________________________________ 
EXAMPLE 9 
Feeding tests were carried out on 4.times.12 fatted calves. Twelve bull 
calves and 12 heifers were fed with fodder containing titanium chelate 
while the control groups consisting also of 12 bull calves and 12 heifers 
got normal fodder. At the end of the test the weight of the animals, the 
specific fodder consumption and the additional weight increase produced by 
the treatment (weight increase of the control=100%) were determined. The 
results are summarized in Table 7. 
TABLE 7 
______________________________________ 
Results of the Test Carried Out on Calves 
Average Average 
Starting Slaughter Weight Increase 
Treatment 
Weight, kg Weight, kg % 
______________________________________ 
Bull calves 
Control 121.33 190.17 100 
Treated 122.25 198.83 111.3 
Heifers 
Control 125.83 169.75 100 
Treated 125.33 175.25 113.7 
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