The Effect of Boric Acid Supplementation in the Diet of Sheep and Rams on Mineral Metabolism

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary boric acid supplementation on serum, milk, and seminal plasma mineral concentrations in Şavak Akkaraman ewes and rams. In the study, three experimental groups were formed: the Control group (C) received no supplementation; B20 group received 20 mg/day of boric acid; and B40 group received 40 mg/day of boric acid. Boric acid was administered for 45 days to rams and 17 days to ewes. At the end of the supplementation period, samples were collected from 10 ewes and 6 rams in each group for mineral analysis. Boric acid supplementation resulted in significant increases (P<0.01) in the concentrations of boron (B), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn) in the serum of ewes. Strong positive correlations were observed between B and Ca (r=0.778), Mg (r=0.709), Se (r=0.495), and Zn (r=0.667). In milk, a positive correlation was found between B and Ca (r=0.334), while negative correlations were observed with iron (Fe) (r=–0.421) and molybdenum (Mo) (r=–0.577). In ram serum, boric acid supplementation led to increased levels of B (r=0.755), Ca (r=0.308), and Se (r=0.323). Significant associations were also found between B levels and those of Ca (r=0.338) and Zn (r=0.421). In seminal plasma, supplementation increased the levels of B (r=0.724), Ca (r=0.466), copper (Cu) (r=0.547), and Se (r=0.592), with a significant correlation observed between B and Ca (r=0.609). In conclusion, boric acid supplementation significantly influenced mineral metabolism in both ewes and rams.