How to prevent your animals from salt deficiency?

Mineral salts are key in livestock production. Sodium and Chlorine are very key minerals for proper water metabolism, nutrient uptake and transmission of nerve impulses. 
The need for Sodium and Chlorine by livestock has been demonstrated for a long time by a natural craving for common salt. Sodium is the critical nutrient in salt. Giving livestock salt in the diet at a level of 0.5 percent is adequate for all farm species. 

What are the symptoms of salt deficiency?

The initial sign of Sodium and Chlorine deficiency is a strong craving for salt. Deficient animals will lick wood, soil and sweat from other animals and drinking water.

.

Keep Reading

• Agriculture insurance takes root with tech
• Quelea bird invasion costs wheat farmers Sh2m daily
  Premium
• How private tractor owners cash in on the rains
• At Luanda Kotieno, fishermen stand guard to protect breeding sites
• Keeping improved Kienyeji birds as commercial venture
  Premium

A prolonged deficiency causes loss of appetite, decreased growth, unhealthy appearance, reduced milk production and loss of weight.

Livestock deprived of salt may be so anxious to get it that they may injure themselves in attempting to reach salt.
Some of the conditions which Sodium deficiency is most likely to occur are; animals in lactation - period of milk production-, due to secretion of Sodium in milk, in rapidly growing animals, under tropical or hot semi-arid conditions when large losses of water and Sodium occur in sweat and where pastures are low in Sodium and n animals grazing pasture heavily fertilized with Potassium, which depresses plant Sodium levels.

Even after prolonged severe deficiency salt levels secreted in milk remains high. Thus, lactating animals suffer most from lack of salt in the diet. 

How to safeguard your animals from salt deficiency? 
In the tropics, plant feeds normally do not contain sufficient quantities of Sodium to meet the requirement of grazing livestock throughout the year. This inadequacy is easily overcome by providing salt mixes, usually containing added Iodine and Cobalt. Most animals can tolerate large quantities of dietary salt when an adequate supply of water is available. However, when animals are deprived of salt for a period of time, re-introduce it slowly and with care. Sudden re-introduction can result in severe diarrhea and in some cases, violent nervous symptoms such as circling and head pressing due to swelling of the brain.