free choice baking soda?

[junkprospector]

so last night we had a little bloat scare... gave the ND Doeling some baking soda and just watched her... all seems fine this morning. i'm wondering if there is any reason not to offer baking soda free choice? I read online where some offer it as needed, others do free choice and supposedly the goats will know when they need some... any thoughts on this? i have my minerals in a hopper for free choice, i was thinking of making a similar baking soda hopper. When i offered it to our doeling last night, she readily licked it up from my hand and i could hear the reaction as it went down...
- Are there any dangers in offering Baking soda free choice though?
- Will the goats really know when they need some to keep bloat under control?

 

[AshleyFishy]

I keep baking soda out free choice. I have never had a problem and they only eat it when they need it.

 

[DonnaBelle]

I too keep baking soda out free choice. My goats have about 50 acres of free choice brouse on our ranch and all sorts of stuff growing there. Occasionally one will eat something and must have a tummy ache because they come into the barn and head for the baking soda, kinda like a human would the Alka Seltzer when they eat too much pizza and orange pop. LOL.

I buy it by the 50 lb bag at the feed store and keep it in a five gallon bucket in the barn. I keep all their feed in the garage attached to the house where they can not get at it so they can't over eat it. The chicken feed is kept in the chicken house.

I keep all our animals separate, Chickens in chicken house and lot. Goats in goat barn and fields. Horses over by themselves. We do all this with electric high tensile fencing. Except for the chickens which have electric woven chicken fencing around their lot.

I too keep free choice loose minerals available year round, but they really eat a lot of mineral in the winter time.

DonnaBelle

 

[ksalvagno]

Free choice baking soda is bad for males. It will deactivate ammonium chloride. So it could contribute to UC.

It is fine to give males baking soda when they have bloat. Just not out free choice.