[Bhmntpacker]

I have the option to bring soft or hard water out to the barn and am wondering how much is too much calcium. All things being equal the hard water is way easier for me to get trenched over but what good is water if it will be my boy's demise?

Here are the specs:

TDS 1340 mg/L
Hardness 561 mg/L
Sulfate 524 mg/L
Calcium 100 mg/L
Mangesium 76 mg/L
Sodium 188 mg/L

I have the option to run softened water out to them or this.
What do you think?

 

[Rex]

I'm not sure anyone here can give you a difinitive answer on how much calcium content is acceptable in a goats drinking water. I know that any significant calcium content would make me nervous and 100 mg/L seems significant. I seem to remember somewhere that calcium levels over 50mg/L leave pipe deposits and is the upper limit of municipal drinking water. I'm just pulling that from a old memory so don't quote me. May be able to Google something on it but I have talked with distraught owners who lost every goat they had to UC and the only calcium they were exposed to was in the water. I'd play it safe and run the soft water.