Ammonium chloride is primarily used in feed additives as an acidity regulator and a non-protein nitrogen supplement. It has a wide range of applications and diverse functions, holding significant importance, especially for ruminants and poultry.
Roles of Ammonium Chloride in Animal Feeding:
1. Ruminants: Preventing Stones and Supplementing Nutrition
Preventing Urinary Calculi: Ammonium chloride can effectively lower the pH value of animal urine, making the urinary environment slightly acidic. This helps dissolve and prevent the formation of stones like magnesium ammonium phosphate (struvite). It is widely used in fattening sheep, cattle, and other animals, significantly reducing mortality and economic losses caused by urolithiasis.
As a Non-Protein Nitrogen Source: It can be used as a non-protein nitrogen (NPN) additive, utilized by microorganisms in the rumen to synthesize microbial protein. This supplements protein nutrition and can replace part of the animal protein in the diet.
Preventing Postpartum Paralysis in Dairy Cows: As a type of anionic salt, ammonium chloride helps regulate the anion-cation balance in the bodies of multiparous cows, effectively preventing postpartum hypocalcemia (commonly known as milk fever) and its secondary conditions such as retained placenta and metritis.
2. Poultry: Alleviating Heat Stress
Mitigating Respiratory Alkalosis: During hot summer months, poultry (especially chickens) dissipate heat through rapid panting. This leads to excessive exhalation of carbon dioxide, increasing blood pH and potentially causing respiratory alkalosis. Adding ammonium chloride to the feed or drinking water can acidify the blood, effectively regulating the acid-base balance and thus alleviating heat stress.
Improving Production Performance: Studies show that by alleviating heat stress, ammonium chloride can improve weight gain and egg production performance in poultry. For example, some data indicates that adding 0.2% to 0.3% ammonium chloride to drinking water can increase weight gain in chickens by 10% to 23%.
3. Aquatic Products (Liver Protection): In aquaculture, ammonium chloride can be used as a medication to help fish protect their liver function and promote the healing of ulcers.
Medicinal and Other Functions of Ammonium Chloride:
Expectorant and Antitussive: In the field of veterinary medicine, when administered orally, ammonium chloride stimulates the gastric mucosa. This reflexively increases secretion from the mucous glands of the respiratory tract, thinning the phlegm and making it easier to expel, thus providing an expectorant and cough-relieving effect.
In conclusion, ammonium chloride plays multiple roles as a feed additive. It offers significant benefits for the urinary system of ruminants, aids in heat stress prevention for poultry, and serves as an expectorant aid for various animals. The appropriate use of ammonium chloride has a positive effect on improving livestock breeding efficiency and ensuring animal health.
Post time: Feb-26-2026
