Feeding-Induced Hypocalcaemia

It was previously shown that when concentrate was added to the diet of hay-fed sheep, there was a profound decrease of serum calcium. In the present study it was shown that 0.4 kg/day of concentrate was necessary to induce this drop in serum calcium. The same changes occurred in heifers fed 3 kg concentrate per day. Isotope studies showed that the fall in serum calcium was probably not caused by a reduced gastro-intestinal calcium uptake.