Limestone As a buffering Agent in High-Concentrate Diets

In recent years, there has been evidence indicating that limestone in excess of normal requirement levels for calcium has beneficial effects for ruminants. Research at this station has shown that limestone supplementation is effective in preventing phosphatic urinary calculi formation in ruminants when fed at higher levels than normally recommended. Work at other stations has shown positive effects on weight gain from limestone added to highconcentrate diets, which was attributed to buffering action within the digestive tract. In short-term finishing periods, buffer supplementation may help ruminants adapt to high-grain diets if roughage has been their major feedstuff in the past. Graded levels of limestone were fed in this experiment to determine beneficial effects in protecting lambs from the effects of rumen acidosis during an extremely short adaptation period and to determine the optimum level of supplementation needed to improve performance during the longer term finishing period