Application of Sodium Bicarbonate in Livestock and Poultry Feeding

Sodium bicarbonate, with the molecular formula NaHCO₃, is an inorganic compound, white crystalline powder, odorless, salty, and easily soluble in water. It decomposes slowly in humid air or hot air to produce carbon dioxide, which is completely decomposed when heated to 270°C. In case of acid, it is strongly decomposed to produce carbon dioxide. Sodium bicarbonate is widely used in analytical chemistry, inorganic synthesis, industrial production, agriculture and animal husbandry production. This article mainly introduces the application of sodium bicarbonate in livestock and poultry breeding.

Adding sodium bicarbonate to the feed can effectively improve the digestion ability of livestock and poultry, accelerate the utilization of nutrients and the discharge of harmful substances, and increase the speed of weight gain. It can keep the resistance and immunity of livestock and poultry in the best state and improve the ability to resist stress. It plays an important role in preventing diseases and ensuring the healthy growth of livestock and poultry.

1. Application of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in pig feed

Adding sodium bicarbonate to pig feed can promote pig's appetite, increase body weight, and improve pig's body resistance. According to research, adding 4-5g of sodium bicarbonate per day to sows before farrowing and lactation can increase the live weight of piglets by 3.2kg and the survival rate by 5%. Adding 0.5% sodium bicarbonate to the piglet diet can increase the piglet's feed intake and increase the daily weight gain by about 10%. It can also improve the resistance of piglets to yellow, red and white diarrhea, and increase the survival rate by about 10%. Feeding 3-4 grams of sodium bicarbonate per fattening pig can increase the daily weight by 100 grams and reduce feed consumption by 13.6%. It can be seen that sodium bicarbonate is also very effective in pig breeding.

2. Application of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in chicken feed

Adding sodium bicarbonate to the feed is also helpful for improving the quality of eggs. If only salt is added during the breeding process, it is difficult to balance the sodium and chlorine elements. However, after adding sodium bicarbonate, maintaining the optimal concentration of Na and the most suitable concentration of P in the blood of laying hens can improve eggshell hardness, egg production and egg weight. Combined with the use of vitamins, it will be more conducive to improving the thickness of the eggshell. Feeding sodium bicarbonate to broilers promotes digestion and thus increases body weight. In addition, replacing part of the table salt with sodium bicarbonate can reduce the moisture problem caused by excessive drinking water to the growing environment of broilers, so that the disease resistance of the chickens has been effectively improved. Adding 0.4% sodium bicarbonate to the breeder diet can increase the egg fertilization rate by 4% to 5%. Adding 0.7% sodium bicarbonate to the broiler diet after 2 weeks of age can increase body weight by 5% to 6%. Adding 0.5% to 0.8% sodium bicarbonate to the diet of laying hens can significantly increase egg production and egg weight. It can also increase the eggshell thickness by about 6% and reduce the egg breakage rate.

3. Application of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) in cattle feed

Adding an appropriate amount of sodium bicarbonate to the feed can well promote the growth of cattle and improve the utilization rate of feed. It can also prevent or slow down the decrease in rumen pH and increase the ratio of rumen acetic acid, thereby increasing milk fat rate and milk production, and advancing the peak milk production period. In addition, supplemental feeding of sodium bicarbonate during the peak lactation period can also prevent ketosis, fatty liver, abomasum dislocation and ruminal acidosis, and it is also effective in treating postpartum anestrus and mastitis in dairy cows. In addition, another effect of sodium bicarbonate is to promote digestion, enhance the appetite of dairy cows, promote the weight gain of beef cattle, and is conducive to the fat growth of dairy cows. Adding 5% sodium bicarbonate to beef cattle feed can shorten the fattening period of beef cattle by 40 to 50 days and improve the feed utilization rate by 8% to 10%. During the lactation period of dairy cows, adding 150 grams of sodium bicarbonate per day to the diet can effectively improve the lactation performance of dairy cows. Feeding cows mixed with 1.5% sodium bicarbonate and 0.8% magnesium oxide can increase the production of fresh milk by 3.8 kg per day, which is more obvious than that of cows fed silage for a long time. In addition, for postpartum dairy cows that are not in estrus, feeding each cow with 10 grams of sodium bicarbonate mixture daily for 5 days can make the effective estrus rate of dairy cows reach more than 90%.

Precautions:

As an important chemical industrial product, sodium bicarbonate plays an important role in daily production. The role in aquaculture is also obvious. Sodium bicarbonate is used in raising cattle, chickens, pigs, etc., but it is still necessary to pay attention to the content of sodium bicarbonate used by different livestock and poultry. In general, in the breeding of some common poultry animals, the scientific and rational use of sodium bicarbonate can effectively promote their healthy growth and metabolism. It can be seen that the use of sodium bicarbonate in aquaculture is still very common. Farmers should pay attention to the dosage when using sodium bicarbonate, as excessive amounts may cause alkalosis.

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