“We homesteaders sure do love our baking soda, don’t we? I think it’s really only second to vinegar when it comes to being one of my favorite all-purpose ingredients. From carpet cleaning and deodorizing, to de-skunking dogs, to scouring and cooking, you won’t be sorry if you keep a big ol’ bag in your pantry.
And I’ve found another use for it: feeding it to my goats!
I’ve actually found that many goat breeders offer free-choice baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to their goat herd.
The most popular consensus seems to be that the baking soda keeps the goat’s digestive system functioning properly by balancing the acid in the rumen. The micro-organisms that live in the rumen need a steady level of acidity. Levels that are too high or too low can result in various issues.
It is thought that a stable digestive tract also encourages better digestion overall – and a decreased chance of bloat…”
