Norms of daily consumption of table salt for cattle, why is it needed?

Salt is a necessary feed additive, a sufficient amount of which in the body ensures the normal functioning of all systems. To meet the need of cows and calves for this food product, it is better to use a lick. Cattle themselves know the amount of daily consumption of table salt, so they will not be able to exceed the norm. An excess of mineral supplements in the diet leads to intoxication of the body.

What is salt for?

The animal demonstrates high productivity if the diet includes vitamin and mineral supplements, which are involved in all vital processes in the body.Saturation of cattle with sodium chloride is of great importance.

The composition of the salt includes:

• chlorine is necessary for the synthesis in the stomach of hydrochloric acid and other substances responsible for the breakdown of fats, regulates water balance;
• the sodium-potassium compound is responsible for the penetration of glucose and amino acids through the cell membrane.

In addition, having antibacterial properties, sodium chloride protects against the negative effects of external factors, infections and diseases caused by pathogenic microorganisms. By improving the taste of food, it helps increase appetite.

Lack of salt affects the functioning of the genitourinary system of animals and decreases appetite. During the period of intensive growth of calves, pregnancy and lactation, and in winter, the cattle body especially needs NaCl. Already from 5 days of age, you can give up to 5 g per day to young animals with milk.

Very often there is a shortage of this microelement in the animal’s body. Signs of a dietary supplement deficiency:

• Cattle are sick more often, the fur is disheveled, the skin is rough;
• the growth of young animals is noticeably reduced;
• the animal has a dejected, gloomy appearance, eats almost nothing;
• dull look;
• infertility, the cow comes into heat rarely, irregularly;
• The productivity of cows decreases (fat content and milk volume decrease).

The focus should be on meeting the NaCl needs of cattle during the grazing period, when most of the animal’s diet consists of plant feed. At the same time, the daily dose of a nutritional supplement must be strictly calculated.

Types of licks

Salt briquettes are not just a food product. This is a vitamin supplement consisting of mineral components and salt specially purified from impurities.

Types of licks:

All blocks have holes in the center for a rope or holder. This makes it convenient to hang the product where the animal is.

Consumption standards

The diet of cattle should include a sufficient amount of salt, which will saturate the animal’s body with sodium. The safest way to provide cows with NaCl is to use a lick. Calculation of the amount of salt per individual per year: cattle - 11 kg, dairy cow - 26 kg.

During pregnancy

During pregnancy, the female's need for salt increases. Therefore, NaCl is given to cows in several ways: added to food, salt blocks hung in free access. If the female did not receive the required amount of nutritional supplement with food, she can always approach the lick.

The minimum intake of sodium chloride per day is 30 g.

Lactation period

In the body of a recently calved cow, the salt reserve is only enough for 6-7 weeks. Then the fat content of milk and daily milk yield directly depend on the intake of sodium into the body. NaCl affects the formation of milk fat. The daily consumption rate is calculated in accordance with the animal’s body weight and milk yield. For every 100 kg, take 5 g of sodium chloride, plus another 4 g for each liter of milk.For example, a cow weighs 500 kg and produces 20 liters of milk daily:

5*5 + 20*4 = 105 g/day.

Cattle love chaff, straw and other roughage moistened with a solution of table salt. It is also necessary to provide the cow with free access to the lick briquette. The animal usually does not eat more than the body needs.

Highly productive

For highly productive cows and bulls, vitamin complexes with low and medium table salt content are used. When they lick a briquette, the body additionally receives the necessary microelements for the health of joints, bones and hooves, for proper metabolism, and maintaining the coordinated functioning of all organs and systems.

Therefore, the owner must make up for the lack of food supplement with food, at the rate of 55-60 g of sodium per day.

Signs of poisoning of cows with table salt

Excessive consumption of table salt by cattle is fraught with serious poisoning. A large amount of food additives leads to inflammatory processes in the intestines, deviations from the norm in the composition of the blood, oxygen starvation, and disturbances in the functioning of the body. Also, an excess of sodium ions causes nervous overexcitation of the animal. Symptoms that indicate cattle intoxication with salt:

• the cattle looks weak, there is trembling in the muscles;
• there is a sharp loss of appetite;
• mucous membranes and skin acquire a bluish tint;
• the animal is in a state of nervous overexcitation;
• shortness of breath is observed, vomiting is possible;
• pupils become dilated;
• diarrhea;
• the animal is constantly thirsty.