Nitrates in Dairy Cattle Feeds
Nitrates in feeds and water can be poisonous to dairy cattle and other livestock. The following information taken from the Penn State Dairy Reference Manual will help to properly evaluate nitrate problems.
Guide to Possible Safety of Forages with Varying Nitrate Contenta.
|
Content of Nitrate Ion (dry-matter basis) |
Comment |
|
(%) |
|
| 0.0 to 0.44 | Considered safe to feed under all conditions. |
| 0.44 to 0.66 | Safe for non-pregnant animals under all conditions. For pregnant animals, limit to 50% of the total dry matter in the ration. |
| 0.66 to 0.88 | Limit to 50% of the total dry matter in the ration. |
| 0.88 to 1.54 | Limit to 35 to 40% of the total dry matter in the ration. Feeds with more than 0.88% nitrate ion should not be used for pregnant animals. |
| More than 1.76 | Feeds with more than 1.76% nitrate ion are potentially toxic. Do not feed. |
a Should be tempered by nitrate and nitrite content of the water supply. A total intake of more than 30 g of nitrate ion per cwt body weight of normal animals may result in acute toxicity and possible death. Levels of 8 to 22 g of nitrate per cwt bodyweight may result in acute toxicity if animals are undergoing a change in feed or have otherwise impaired rumen metabolism. Nitrites may be six to eight times as toxic as nitrites and are more apt to occur in water. Silo gas is more often involved in animal problems than nitrites per se. Most problems of toxicity result from levels exceeding 1%.