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Effects of Low Chloride Intake on Performance, Clinical Characteristics, and Chloride, Sodium, Potassium, and Nitrogen Metabolism in Dairy Calves¹

Departments of Animal and Dairy Science and Large Animal Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens 30602

ABSTRACT

Young male Holstein calves were fed either a control (.5% chloride) or a low-chloride (.038% chloride) practical diet for 7 wk. Both groups received low-chloride (.00038% chloride) well water. Feeding the low-chloride diet did not produce definite clinical symptoms of chloride deficiency. Neither body weight gains, feed intake, feed digestibility, nor body retention of chloride, sodium, potassium, or nitrogen were affected adversely. Although the chloride intake of the low-chloride calves was only one-sixteenth that of controls, body chloride retention was similar for the two groups. The similar retention of body chloride was due to effective homeostatic mechanisms in which urinary chloride excretion was reduced by 95% in the low-chloride calves. Low-chloride calves consumed more water and excreted more urine than control calves. Although the exact minimum chloride requirement for growth in calves was not established, .038% chloride was adequate for normal growth for the 7 wk.

¹ Supported by State and Hatch funds allocated to the Georgia Agricultural Experiment Stations.

² School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolten Center, Kennett Square, PA 19348.