• Sodium Bicarbonate
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Sodium Bicarbonate

Sodium Bicarbonate

Sodium bicarbonate is used to treat acid indigestion and used to treat metabolic acidosis and is used as a buffering agent for the rumen.

Sodium bicarbonate or sodium hydrogen carbonate is the chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. Sodium bicarbonate is a white solid that is crystalline but often appears as a fine powder. Sodium bicarbonate has many related names such as baking soda, bread soda, cooking soda, bicarbonate of soda or shortened to sodium bicarb, bicarb soda, or simply bicarb.

The benefits of feeding Sodium bicarbonate to ruminants
Optimal rumen function is essential in order to maximise performance as well as allowing maximum utilisation of low cost forages. Rumen function can be impaired by feeding high cereal rations, acidic silages, short chop forage and starchy forages which in turn can lead to impaired digestion, reduced intakes and poor performance (e.g. reduced butterfat). Feeding Sodium bicarbonate assists the saliva in its buffering capacity, thus reducing the risk of large drops in rumen pH which can lead to acidosis.

This is practically demonstrated with:

  • Improved forage intakes
  • Effective fibre digestion
  • Higher milk yields
  • Enhanced milk quality, increased butterfat
  • Improved feed conversion and liveweight gain


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Recommended feeding

(per head / day)

For ruminants Sodium bicarbonate can be added to either the concentrate or forage part of the ration.

  • Dairy cows 200-250g/cow/d
  • Beef cattle 1-1.5% diet inclusion (cereal based ration) or 100-150 g/head/d (silage based ration)
  • Sheep 2% diet inclusion (intensive lamb) or 50 g/ewe/d (ewes on silage)

Storage / Processing

Store in cool dry conditions.

Material to have been stored in compliance with DEFRA code of practice for the control of salmonella.

References / further reading

Disclaimer

Feeding rates are estimates, and other factors, such as animal health and environment, can have a greater impact on how animals perform. There is no guarantee that animals will perform as expected if fed the suggested rates. Rations should be balanced to provide enough energy and protein for animals, and they should include enough forage to keep the rumen healthy. Animals also need access to fresh water at all times.