Effects of dietary boron on mineral balance in sheep

Eighteen Hampshire crossbred wethers (45kg) were used in acompletely randomized experiment (20-day adjustment to basal, 11-day treatment and collection) to test the effects of supplemental boron (B) on fecal and urinary excretion, % digestion (apparent absorption), and % retention of Ca, Mg, K, and P. Supplemental B intakes of 75 (Trt 2) and 200 (Trt 3) mg/d were achieved by adding sodium borate to the corn silage-soybean meal basal ration, Trt 1 (B intake of 30 mg/d). When regressed against day, Ca digestion and retention tended to follow quadratic patterns for all treatments, decreasing until days 5 and 6 for supplemented and control groups, respectively, then increasing through the end of the trial. Significant fit to the quadratic response was observed for Ca digestion (P