Baking soda?

No...the general consensus now is that since goats produce their own "baking soda" there is no need to offer free choice.

Welcome to The Goat Spot. Nope on free choice baking soda. The newest research has shown giving free choice baking soda to goats of any age inhibits their ability to produce their own bicarbonate, which naturally occurs in their digestive tract, when given over a period of time. Baking soda is helpful when treating bloat or when first introducing goats to new green browse during the first couple of days in spring time.

I agree , also Baking soda can also contribute to UC and interfere with Ammonium chloride if fed.

I too agree, only as needed.

Nay.
So goats actually produce their own bicarbonate. It's in their saliva and when they chew up their food their saliva mixes with the food and this balances the PH of the rumen. Feeding baking soda long term can, along with the things mentioned above, interfere with the goat's body's ability to make their own PH buffers.

Thanks for the info on baking soda!! I’m a newbie to goats and find this forum quite informative!!!

I don’t recommend feeding free choice baking soda for many reasons. Goats produce their own bicarbonate, but if they have baking soda they begin to produce less and less of their own. Then, if they end up bloating, their bodies will not resolve as quickly and baking soda will already be rendered useless. It also de-acidifies urine, which can be quite dangerous for male goats, as urine must stay slightly acidic to prevent urinary calculi. Baking soda can also disrupt the absorption of certain minerals, causing deficiencies.

Buckles & Boots said:

Thanks for the info on baking soda!! I’m a newbie to goats and find this forum quite informative!!!

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You are welcome. This forum is awesome. Most of the senior members are some of the most knowledgeable collection of goat owners to be found any where. Spend a little time reading some of the threads, you'll discover we share the good times as well as the low times. We are here to learn, educate others and basically discuss goat stuff. Hope you stick around for a while and respond to posts if you like or start more threads if you have any questions. All of us were new to goats at one point or the other as well.