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Report no. 690

Abstract
It was investigated whether the use of calcium formate and calcium chloride in finisher feed reduced pH in slurry and could thereby help reduce the ammonia emission from finisher housing.

The trial was divided into two phases and comprised the following groups:

Calcium formate did not reduce pH in neither urine nor slurry, and is therefore not likely to have a significant effect on the ammonia emission. Compared with feed lime as calcium source, calcium formate increased the productivity by approx. 8% when the feed was pelleted, ready-mixed feed, whereas there was no productivity-enhancing effect with feed mixed on-farm.

In the trial period, the addition of calcium formate resulted in an excess price of DKK 3.80 per 100 kg feed. This excess price was covered by a 7% increase in the production value. Thus, the addition of calcium formate was largely economically neutral on farms using purchased pelleted feed, but economically unprofitable with meal feed mixed on-farm.

Calcium chloride reduced pH in urine and slurry by 1.2 and 0.3 pH units, respectively. However, calcium chloride at the same time affected the daily gain negatively (-34 g/day), and thereby affected the lean meat percentage positively (0.4 percentage units) due a reduced feed intake. This resulted in an overall reduction of the production value per place unit of 5% a year. Calcium chloride furthermore resulted in an excess price of DKK 3.30 per 100 kg feed. Part of the reduction in daily gain (an estimated 10 g) may be caused by an approx. 3% lower energy content in the feed with calcium chloride.

When calcium chloride replaces feed lime in a finisher diet, the ammonia emission may be reduced by approx. 30% due to the drop in pH in the slurry, but it affects the feed intake, and thereby the daily gain, negatively.

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