Cuban mineral sources. Experiences in animal breeding

Minerals are essential for metabolic and physiological processes in living beings. However, in Cuba they are deficient in most of the soils used for cattle raising, and most pasture, forage, and food species in general present mineral deficiencies, or their availability is scarce. This causes low herd productivity due to direct effects on animal health and indirect effects on forage resources. Fortunately, there are several national mineral sources that allow correcting these deficiencies, but their use is not widespread among producers. The present work is a descriptive-analytical review, based on theoretical-practical contributions, whose objective was to contribute to the update on the use of Cuban mineral sources in animal breeding and feeding, which substitute imports without affecting the bioproductive and economic behavior of the herds. The methodology was based on the compilation of scientific articles and official publications of academic, technological, and scientific institutions. The results were focused on: the main available mineral sources (natural phosphoric rocks and their derived phosphates, dolomites, magnesites, zeolites, and bentonites), their uses as a substitute to imported sources, and their effects on health and animal production. It is concluded that in Cuba there are national mineral sources that benefit animal health and production, with which mineral formulations can be elaborated to supplement different animal species according to their purposes, without affecting the bioproductive and economic behavior of the herds with the consequent decrease of the costly imported mineral sources.