# Baking Soda and ACV



## CCary (Jul 26, 2012)

Hello there, I am a real newbie and have been reading Goat Spot for awhile and this is my first posting. Hope I don't screw up. Anyway, I have been reading that many use Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in the goat water so I have been doing this and they really love it. Before this I noticed they didn't drink much and somewhere I read that goats are like camels and only drink a teaspoon or 2 daily. Since adding the ACV they drink alot!. My next reading led me to find that some goat lovers give Baking Soda (BS) freely in a bowl, they eat this when they want. 
My question is, how does the ACV and the BS, being given at the same time, not bubble up in their gut. Doesn't this cause a problem? I haven't done this yet, giving BS. Should I? Is it one or the other or give them both ACV and BS at the same time? Right now they eat all the hay they want, 3 cups a day of Purina Goat Chow, a blueberry mineral lick from tractor supply and when the weather cooperates they browse on oak, maple, quack grass, pine, grape leaves, locust (minimally) for 1 to 2 hours a day as we have no fencing and i get to be the goat-herder which is so much fun as they follow me. The down side is I have had poison Ivy all summer and the fainting mix is ridiculous as 2 slow us up with falling all the time and the other 4 pick on them when they do.
My goat family is 6 - 6 month old Boar, Kikko, Fainting goat mix which we have had since April and 3 - 5 month old Boar, Kikko, Savannah, mix who are just so wild I can't even get near them. we purchased them less than 2 weeks ago. They haven't left the barn yet and won't til they know me and follow well.
thank you for reading this and hope someone out there understands what I am asking and has an answer, Cindy (still itchin)


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Hi, welcome to TGS! We are talking very small amounts of these items, ACV and BS, the goats eat the baking soda "as needed" and they don't normally need a lot. I've had it out forever, and mine hardly touch it. But, it's there if they need it. Actually, if a goat is eating BS, it's usually because of a tummy ache, so a little "release of gas" is what is wanted, lol. The ACV is to acidify the urine...to prevent urinary calculi. (Although, I'm getting a lot of boys...so I'm going to be better at adding the ACV...to see if it helps make some more girls.)


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

Personaly, I wouldn't put baking soda out free choice. I have read it can increase chances of Urinary calculi in wethers. Not sure why and it is not commonly listed as one of the causes. Just a guess on my part, but since you are trying to acidify the urine, perhaps baking soda counter acts that attempt. having baking soda on hand and putting it out free choice if your goats have a change in ration or perhaps offering just to your does would be okay. I would save it for when you need it. I am assuming at least one of those goats you have are male.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

I don't put out baking soda either. Supposedly it prevents bloat. But I have heard of more than one case of bloat caused by _running out of_ baking soda. Apparently the goat's body adjusts, and then when the baking soda is no longer available, it bloats.
I've never had a problem with bloat in my goats.
I do use ACV. They love it, it prevents UC in bucks and wethers, and it is high in potassium, which is very good for them!


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## CCary (Jul 26, 2012)

To 20kidsonhill: I am assuming at least one of those goats you have are male. (20kidsonhill) No males; why are you assuming? What I don't know about goats is a lot.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

CCary said:


> To 20kidsonhill: I am assuming at least one of those goats you have are male. (20kidsonhill) No males; why are you assuming? What I don't know about goats is a lot.


figured it was a herd, does with a buck for breeding in the future. It was really just a guess on my part. Sounds like you have a nice group of does started.


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## Zarafia (Mar 25, 2012)

This scares me a bit.
When I first got Sprite he was a very malnourished, wormy little buckling. The place he came from didn't have enough graze or browse and he was low man on the totem pole when it came to grain time. When he got here I gave him lots of browse and the first night he got colicy. I offered him baking soda and he wolfed it down and felt better soon. From then on I've always given all my goats free choice baking soda and I see each of them take some occasionally. I do know that they ran out while I was laid up for two weeks. Thankfully no one got sick.
I just put ACV on my shopping list so I can add a little to my goat's water that stays in their barn. They rarely drink from that bucket, but I wonder if they'll like the ACV flavor.


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## ThreeHavens (Oct 20, 2011)

In my experience the goats hate the taste of ACV (we use the raw, don't know if it makes a difference) so we only add a tiny drizzle to their water. They don't know it's there, so they drink it right up.


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## CCary (Jul 26, 2012)

Thanks for all your help; guess I won't worry about mixing the baking soda and vinegar - although it still seems counter productive to me. Sweeten then acidify, or visa-versa. Next problem is getting them out in the field more often. Cherry trees are dropping leaves and the blowing leaves are everywhere. We will stay in for now. How long can goats stay in the barn for? it is 3 sides closed with walkout opening that is now fenced in.


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

we have cherry trees everywhere, the autumn leaves are not poisonous. it is during the wilting stage of a broken off branch.


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## CCary (Jul 26, 2012)

really; everything i have read says only green leaves are okay to eat, any other stage is poisonous until totally dried stage. Have been trying to figure out what is dried stage. what does it look like. Sounds like you have a lot of cherry also so you must see them eating this at different stages of leafing?


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## 20kidsonhill (Feb 28, 2011)

we have 6 acres and around 10 adult wild cherry trees on the property. We don't worry about it, except for after a storm we walk the 6 acres and pick check for branches and trees down. We have had goats for 15 years on the property. We had 3 entire cherry trees down after a bad storm this summer. We did take the goats off the field for a week after that, to let the leaves dry up and we ofcourse picked up as much of it as we could, but the storm was so bad it had shredded branches and leaves all over the palce. Our entire 7 acres did not have a sqaure inch that wasn't covered in leaves and branches of one kind or another, It was a goat paradise. We lost 15 full size trees in that storm. We still have several of them down in the pasture that need to be picked up. We did pick up all the Cherry trees that weekend, in 100 degree weather. And I had the stomach flue for 2 days the night that we had the storm, It was a long weekend, we were out of power for 5 days . I am sure our goats ate some cherry leaves. I am sure quanitity plays a roll, there was so much other stuff down as well, and stag eof wilting plays a roll. I am postive the leaves in the fall are not poisonous, because lots of farmershave them in their fields with their livestock and obvously it would be a problem otherwise. A broken off branch swith fresh leaves that wilt are a problem however.


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## milkmaid (Sep 15, 2010)

My goats eat lots of yellow cherry leaves in the fall. Whatever amount it takes to poison them, they're not getting it.  I keep an especially good eye on them this time of year, but I have not seen any sign of poisoning in the 3 years I've had them.


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## myfainters (Oct 30, 2009)

Hello, Welcome to the group! :wave: 
As far as feeding Baking Soda, I don't leave out baking soda free choice.... no reason too. (Not a nutrient or mineral so what is the purpose?) I do use Baking Soda if I suspect an individual goat is starting to bloat but if they aren't bloating there is no reason to use it. Also, you mentioned that you use the mineral blocks from Tractor Supply.... I would get a loose mineral as the blocks don't give them access to enough minerals at a time. We use Sweetlix Meat maker Loose minerals over here.


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