Requirements of pregnant sheep in sodium and its content in gastrointestinal tract

The administration of mineral additive are ineffective and, moreover, harmful if not based on estimation of the real requirements of an animal with respect to biological effects of macroelements. In 3 years old Gissar sheep of 70 kg living mass («Raushan» individual farm, the Southern Kazakhstan) Na content in the chyme and gastrointestinal walls varied during the pregnancy. Na accumulation was high in small intestine, in which the intensive intake obviously occurred. A high Na level also was detected in paunch and large intestine. A total amount of Na in the paunch chyme was the highest during all pregnancy and exceeded the indexes in other probes up to 100 times. This data suggest that the walls of gastrointestinal tract are able to accumulate and to release Na depending on a physiological requirement.