Sheep and Goat Science Commons^™

Calcium And Magnesium Absorption And Retention By Growing Goats Offered Diets With Different Calcium Sources, Jennifer E. Long, Kenneth P. Coffey, James D. Caldwell, Dirk Philipp, Robert T. Rhein, Ashley N. Young

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Calcium addition is necessary in order to balance the high phosphorus concentrations that are characteristic of high-concentrate ruminant diets. However, calcium sources differ in their bioavailability. Our objective was to determine apparent calcium and magnesium absorption and retention in goats offered diets containing different sources of calcium. Spanish-Boer goats (n = 18; 19.6 ± 1.88 kg) were stratified by body weight (BW) and sex and randomized to dietary treatments consisting of Purina Antlermax 16 containing either calcium carbonate (CC), Calmin (CM) or Milk Cal (MC). Goats were adapted to a control, corn-based high-concentrate diet on pasture and then moved to …