Calcium requirements of the young lamb. I. Effects of different intakes of dietary calcium on liveweight gain, bone development, and blood serum calcium levels

Abstract

Four groups of male lambs were fed on liquid diets to give them four different calcium intakes (50, 250, 450, and 650 mg calcium/kg liveweight/day) from 5 to 70 days of age. Dry matter intake, liveweight gain, and serum calcium levels (but not food conversion efficiency) were reduced in those animals consuming 50 mg calcium/kg/day, but there were no significant differences between the lambs receiving 250, 450, or 650 mg/kg/day. Femur development in the lambs consuming 50 mg/kg/day was inadequate: the bone was brittle and tended to fracture. Although femurs taken from the animals receiving 250mg/kg/day were not fully developed, they appeared to be structurally sound. It is concluded that a calcium intake of 250 mg/kg/day is likely to be adequate for young lambs slaughtered for meat production at an early age.