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Astragalus feed types and feeding examples
Astragalus, commonly known as Huangqi, is primarily fed with animal-based feed. Fresh feed is essential, and rotten or spoiled feed should be strictly avoided. In artificial breeding environments, the diet should mainly consist of animal feed, supplemented with plant-based feed to ensure balanced nutrition.
1. **Fresh Animal Feed**: This includes a variety of protein-rich options such as alfalfa, silkworm pupae, fly larvae, snails, crickets, and small fish or shrimp. Among these, wolfberry (Lycium barbarum) is particularly favored by Astragalus due to its high dry matter protein content—around 61%, which is comparable to fish meal and silkworm pupae. These feeds are rich in nutrients and promote healthy growth and development, making them ideal for cage culture.
2. **Plant-Based Feed**: Although Astragalus has limited ability to digest plant proteins and cellulose, certain plant-based feeds are still necessary in large-scale farming. This is because captive-bred individuals often have more access to food and may eat more than their wild counterparts. Including some cellulose-rich ingredients like wheat flour, corn flour, bran, and soybean meal helps stimulate gut motility and improves feeding efficiency. These components also act as binders in compound feed formulations.
3. **Artificial Compound Feed**: The use of formulated feed is becoming increasingly popular in large-scale breeding. Recent trials have shown that properly balanced compound feeds can support successful Astragalus cultivation. These feeds typically contain 35% to 45% or even higher protein levels, along with good palatability. However, a significant portion of the formula should still consist of animal-based ingredients to meet the nutritional needs of the species.
4. **Alternative Feeds**: Expanding the sources of feed is crucial for sustainable breeding. For example, animal by-products such as pig or cattle organs can be used as supplementary feed, provided they are fresh and not spoiled. Some breeders also use light traps to attract insects, which serve as additional food sources. Introducing live organisms like small clams or snails into the cages can also help create a self-sustaining food supply, reducing dependency on external feed sources.
**Feeding Example Using Artificial Compound Feed**
One successful example comes from Zhejiang University, where they developed a well-balanced feed formula using caged feeding methods. Their formula consists of 60% fishmeal, 22% starch, 4% yeast powder, 2% wheat gluten, 4% soybean meal, 1.2% multivitamins, 1% minerals, 1% additives, and 4.8% other ingredients. The nutritional profile includes 46.3% crude protein, 5.36% crude fat, 0.87% crude fiber, 0.87% crude ash, 4.11% calcium, and 2.31% phosphorus. The essential amino acid composition is well-balanced, supporting optimal growth. After 120 days of feeding, survival rates reached 90.5%, with a feed conversion ratio of 1.27, generating a net profit of 2240 yuan and an input-output ratio of 1:2.63.
Another formula from Hubei Province includes 20% bean cake powder, 20% bran (dry matter), 40% cooked soybean powder, 2.5% blood meal, 1.5% corn gluten, 3% calcium dihydrogen phosphate, and 5% binder. This formulation provides a practical and cost-effective approach to feeding Astragalus in commercial settings.