Sodium chloride supplementation of high-grain diets for fattening Merino sheep

Abstract

In an experiment lasting 60 days the effect of adding sodium chloride to five types of diet was studied in young Merino wethers. The diets used were 100 per cent. oat grain, and 50 : 50 as well as 75 : 25 mixtures of oat grain with lucerne chaff on the one hand, and with wheaten chaff on the other. The addition of 0.25 per cent. sodium chloride to these diets resulted in increased food consumption and improved efficiency of food utilization, with significant increases of 19-58 per cent. in body-weight gains. The unsupplemented diets contained 0.009-0.062 per cent. sodium and 0.05-0.42 per cent. chlorine. There were indications that the lack of sodium was the limiting factor in these diets, and that the sodium requirement of these sheep was greater than 0.06 per cent. of the diet, or 0.88 g per day. Dietary sodium intake did not affect serum-sodium levels, except those of sheep fed on the 50 : 50 mixture of oats and lucerne chaff in which they were significantly higher. Serum-potassium levels were slightly, but significantly, higher in sheep fed on the low-sodium diets. In a second experiment the two groups which had received the 75 : 25 mixture of oat grain and wheaten chaff were fed on the mixture for a further 29 days, but the group which had not received sodium chloride was given 0.37 per cent. sodium bicarbonate. The response was similar to that of the group which received sodium chloride.