Ammonium Chloride in Feed – Balancing Acidity and Enhancing Dairy Cow Health

Ammonium chloride is an essential feed additive used to calculate the dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD), helping to regulate acid-base balance in animals, particularly dairy cows before calving.

Benefits of Ammonium Chloride in Feed:

✔ Regulating Acid-Base Balance:

• Lowers DCAD levels, leading to urine acidification.
• This acidification prevents milk fever, a common condition in dairy cows post-calving caused by a significant drop in blood calcium levels.
• By enhancing calcium absorption from bones, it helps maintain optimal blood calcium levels.

✔ Improving Pre-Calving Cow Health:

• Helps reduce the risk of milk fever and other health complications before calving.
• Leads to better milk production after calving and lower veterinary costs.

✔ DCAD Calculation in Feed:

• DCAD is determined based on the concentration of cations (sodium and potassium) and anions (chlorine and sulfur) in the feed.
• Ammonium chloride increases chlorine levels, reducing DCAD and achieving the desired balance.

Why Use Ammonium Chloride?

Ammonium chloride plays a key role in managing dairy cow nutrition before calving, helping to enhance overall health, boost milk production, and reduce health-related costs.

Incorporate ammonium chloride into your feeding program today for healthier, more productive dairy cows!