Studies on salt tolerance of sheep

Abstract

Six groups, each of six sheep, were fed in pens for 15 months on a ration of chaffed lucerne and wheaten hays. One group was offered rain-water to drink, another group was offered 1.30 per cent. sodium chloride, whereas the others were offered one of the following mixtures of sodium chloride and sodium sulphate: 1.22 + 0.10 , 1.14 + 0.20, 1.05 + 0.30, and 0.89 + 0.50 per cent. The intake of water containing 1.30 per cent. sodium chloride alone, or 0.10 or 0.50 per cent. sodium sulphate with sodium chloride, was higher than that of rain-water, and the intake was increased still further with 0.20 and 0.30 per cent. sodium sulphate; the mean daily intakes for the entire experiment by the six groups were 2.3, 3.8, 3, 6, 4.3, 4.2, and 3.71. respectively. The intake also increased in ell groups with temperature, being 30-60 per cent. higher in the hottest months than in the coldest months. The saline drinking waters had no effect on the concentrations of sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, or chloride in the blood plasma. Sulphate, however, was significantly higher, throughout a considerable portion of the experiment, in the plasma of the sheep which received either 0.30 or 0.50 per cent. sodium sulphate. None of the saline solutions used in the experiment had any adverse effect on the general health, food consumption, weight increase, or wool production of the sheep.