Studies on the nutritive value of the diet selected by grazing sheep IV. Variation in the diet selected by sheep differing in age, breed, sex, strain and previous history

1969 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Langlands
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Previous History ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Faecal Nitrogen ◽  
Grazing Sheep ◽  
Grazing History

SUMMARYThe ability of two groups of six Merino wethers aged 6 and 66 months to digest a lucerne ration was examined in order to detect possible biases in the use of faecal nitrogen as a faecal index substance. Earlier work with this technique had indicated a difference in selectivity between young and older sheep. No difference in ability to digest the ration was observed and it was concluded that the earlier observation was not an artefact in the faecal nitrogen technique. Oesophageal fistulae were prepared in 120 sheep differing in breed, sex, age, strain and previous history. Determinations were made of the nitrogen content, and in one experiment of the in vitro digestibility of the diet selected by sheep grazing various pastures. Significant differences in the nitrogen content of the diet selected by sheep varying in breed, age and previous grazing history were recorded on some pastures on some occasions but not on others. No significant differences were observed between sheep varying in strain or sex. No reason could be suggested for the occasional differences between groups in the nitrogen content or digestibility of the diet selected, but it appeared unlikely that it would be a major source of variation in the productivity of the different groups at pasture.

Studies on the nutritive value of the diet selected by grazing sheep V. Further studies of the relationship between digestibility estimated in vitro from oesophageal fistula samples and from faecal and dietary composition

1969 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Langlands
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Faecal Output ◽  
Faecal Nitrogen ◽  
Grazing Sheep ◽  
Predicted Values ◽  
Stocking Rates ◽  
The Relationship

SUMMARYDigestibility was estimated in vitro from a total of 167 oesophageal fistula samples collected over a period of 16 to 24 months from adult sheep grazing eight Phalaris tuberosa-Trifolium repens pastures stocked continuously at rates of from 2·5 to 37·1 sheep per ha. Corresponding estimates of the nitrogen content of the faeces and of the fistula samples, the live weight and faecal output of the sheep, and of the herbage availability of the pasture were obtained.The observations were stratified on the bases of stocking rate, digestibility, month of the year, herbage availability or organicmatter intake. Relationships between digestibility estimated by the fistula technique and faecal nitrogen content (model B) and between digestibility and faecal nitrogen content, nitrogen content of the dietary dry and organic matter, and faecal output per unit live weight (model A) were calculated for each stratum.There were significant differences between relationships derived for the various stocking rates, levels of digestibility, times of year, levels of intake and levels of herbage availability; predicted values of digestibility for given values of the independent variables differed by as much as 20 units of digestibility. Model A was substantially more precise than model B.Differences between estimates of digestibility, derived by the fistula technique and by a general faecal nitrogen—digestibility relationship, established by Lambourne and Reardon (1963a) were calculated. The differences were related to digestibility and to herbage availability.The implications of these results are discussed and it is concluded that faecal nitrogen content is not a satisfactory index of the digestibility of the diet selected by grazing sheep.

Influence of sward characteristics on grazing behaviour and growth of Hereford steers grazing tropical grass pastures

1978 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
EA Chacon ◽  
TH Stobbs ◽  
MB Dale
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Stocking Rate ◽  
Bite Size ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Digitaria Decumbens ◽  
Grazing Behaviour

Relationships between sward characteristics, grazing behaviour and growth of Hereford steers were studied on nitrogen-fertilized (378 kg ha-1 yr-1) Setaria anceps cv. Nandi and Digitaria decumbens swards continuously stocked at 4.3, 6.2 and 8.0 beasts ha-1 during five periods over 2 years. Availability of herbage, as measured by bite size, and nitrogen content and in vitro digestibility of herbage in the top of the swards were the two most important factors influencing the performance of steers. The relative importance of these factors varied between seasons, between stocking rate treatments and to a lesser extent between pasture species. The highest growth rates were measured on the leniently stocked pastures because steers were able to harvest feed easily (a large bite size) and could more readily select the more nutritious plant parts from the top of the sward. The swards were highly heterogeneous, and numerical analysis of data showed that at the same herbage yield, spatial distribution of herbage (leaf bulk density and leaf to stem ratio) and the nutritive value (in vitro digestibility and nitrogen content) of herbage greatly influenced the growth of steers. Cattle were unable to satisfy their feed requirements on some high quality but low-yielding swards, despite increasing grazing time to compensate for the small bites prehended (up to 707 min in 24 hr in spring). Consequently nitrogen and digestibility contents of extrusa samples were at times poor indicators of performance.

Studies on the nutritive value of the diet selected by grazing sheep. III. A Comparison of oesophageal fistula and faecal index techniques for the indirect estimation of digestibility

1967 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Langlands
Keyword(s):  
Reasonable Agreement ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
General Relationship ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Indirect Estimation ◽  
Selective Grazing ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Faecal Nitrogen ◽  
Grazing Sheep

Regression equations relating the intake factor to the dissolved faeces fraction, faecal nitrogen and faecal cellulose contents were derived in a continous digestibility trial with cut herbage, and also with sheep fitted with oesophageal fistulae grazing the pasture from which the herbage was cut. In the grazing trial the intake factor was calculated from the in vitro digestibility of the fistula samples.The relationships established in the digestiblity trial differed significantly (P<0·001) from those in the grazing trial. These differences may have arisen from selective grazing or from bias in estimating digestibility from fistula samples.The digestibility of the diet selected in the grazing trial was estimated from the various faecal index relationships established. These estimates were very variable. In contrast there was reasonable agreement between estimates derived by the fistula technique and those predicted from a ‘general’ relationship between the intake factor and faecal nitrogen as established at this Laboratory with a wide range of herbages.It is concluded that faecal index relationships must be derived with material similar to that selected by the sheep when grazing.

Selection of diet by sheep grazing semi-arid pastures on the Riverine Plain. 4. A grassland (Danthonia caespitosa) community

1967 ◽  
Vol 7 (28) ◽  
pp. 426 ◽  
Author(s):  
GW Robards ◽  
JH Leigh ◽  
WE Mulham
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Grazing Pressure ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Resistant Species ◽  
Heavy Grazing ◽  
Visual Assessments ◽  
Selection Of

The diet selected by Merino sheep grazing a Danthonia caespitosa Gaudich. grassland was determined by analysing extrusa from Merino wethers fitted with oesophageal fistulas. Visual assessments were combined with hand clipped samples to determine the amount of forage available. In spring a large proportion of the diet consisted of annual species. In summer, when the range of species present in the pasture was low, Danthonia caespitosa made up the bulk of the diet. Under heavy grazing the amount of dry material and burrs of Medicago polymorpha L. in the diet increased as the supply of Danthonia caespitosa decreased. Nitrogen content and in vitro digestibility, both of the pasture and of the forage eaten during spring, decreased as forage availability decreased under heavy grazing. These values were lower in summer than in spring, but showed little change under increasing grazing pressure. The quality of the pasture, as assessed by nitrogen content and digestibility, would have been sufficient, even in the dry summer experienced during this study, to enable sheep to increase in body weight. Because of the lack of drought-resistant species capable of producing appreciable amounts of forage in the summer-autumn period, it is improbable that any system of management based on deferred or rotational grazing can be devised that will increase animal production from this pasture type.

The nutrition of ruminants grazing native and improved pastures. IV.* Long-term effects of the quantity of superphosphate applied on the nutritive value of the diet selected by sheep grazing a pasture originally sown to Phalaris aquatica and Trifolium repens

1979 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 565 ◽  
Author(s):  
JP Langlands ◽  
JE Bowles ◽  
GE Donald
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Trifolium Repens ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Phalaris Aquatica ◽  
Grazing Sheep

Small plots sown to Phalaris aquatica–Trifolium repens in 1967 were fertilized with either 0, 188 or 375 kg superphosphate ha-1 year-1 from 1967 to 1976; the plots were grazed uniformly between 1967 and 1975 and at three stocking intensities during 1975 and 1976. The composition of the forage on offer and of the diet selected by grazing sheep were measured at 2-monthly intervals during 1976. Phalaris largely died out from plots which did not receive superphosphate. Available forage, and its content of clover, nitrogen and most minerals were substantially greater on plots that received fertilizer, as were the digestibility and nitrogen content of the diet selected. The nutritive value of the diet selected was greatest on plots which received 375 kg superphosphate ha-1 year-1. The nitrogen content of the diet selected generally increased with increasing stocking intensity, but this trend was not evident for digestibility; interactions between the quantity of fertilizer applied and stocking intensity were not significant. Digestibility and nitrogen content of the diet varied between months, with the quantity of green forage and clover on offer, and with the nitrogen content of the available forage. __________________ *Part III, Aust. J. Agric. Res., 29, 1301 (1978).

scholarly journals Temporal Variations in Chemical Composition, In Vitro Digestibility, and Metabolizable Energy of Plant Species Browsed by Goats in Southern Mediterranean Forest Rangeland

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1441
Author(s):  
Youssef Chebli ◽  
Samira El Otmani ◽  
Mouad Chentouf ◽  
Jean-Luc Hornick ◽  
Jean-François Cabaraux
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Condensed Tannin ◽  
Metabolizable Energy ◽  
Mediterranean Forest ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
Southern Mediterranean

Forest rangelands contribute largely to goat diets in the Mediterranean area. Information about browsed plant quality is essential for adequate feeding management. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the temporal changes in chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of the main plant species selected by goats in the Southern Mediterranean forest rangeland during two consecutive years; these were very contrasted (dry and wet). The browsed species were composed of herbaceous, eleven shrubs, and four tree species. Overall, large variability in chemical composition, in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), and metabolizable energy (ME) was observed among species, grazing season (spring, summer, and autumn), and years within each species. Crude protein (CP) content varied from 60 to 240 g/kg dry matter (DM). The fiber fractions, except for Quercus suber, increased significantly by advancing maturity. Due to the water stress, the lignin level presented a higher value during the spring of the dry year. Condensed tannin (CT) content varied from 2 to 184 g/kg DM. CP, IVOMD, and ME showed a negative correlation with lignin and CT. Based on the results presented herein, it is concluded that the nutritive value of the browsed plant species was highest in the spring and lowest during the summer and autumn of both studied years. With a good grazing management strategy, the selected plant species by goats could guarantee high-quality feeding resources throughout the year.

scholarly journals Improving ensiling characteristics by adding lactic acid bacteria modifies in vitro digestibility and methane production of forage-sorghum mixture silage

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chatchai Kaewpila ◽  
Pongsatorn Gunun ◽  
Piyawit Kesorn ◽  
Sayan Subepang ◽  
Suwit Thip-uten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Lactic Acid Bacteria ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Acid Fermentation ◽  
Design Factor ◽  
Forage Sorghum ◽  
Randomized Design

AbstractImproving the nutrition of livestock is an important aspect of global food production sustainability. This study verified whether lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculant could promote ensiling characteristics, nutritive value, and in vitro enteric methane (CH4) mitigation of forage sorghum (FS) mixture silage in attacking malnutrition in Zebu beef cattle. The FS at the soft dough stage, Cavalcade hay (CH), and cassava chip (CC) were obtained. The treatments were designed as a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design. Factor A was FS prepared without or with CH, CC, and CH + CC. Factor B was untreated or treated with Lactobacillus casei TH14. The results showed that all FS mixture silages preserved well with lower pH values below 4.0 and higher lactic acid contents above 56.4 g/kg dry matter (DM). Adding LAB boosted the lactic acid content of silages. After 24 h and 48 h of in vitro rumen incubation, the CC-treated silage increased in vitro DM digestibility (IVDMD) with increased total gas production and CH4 production. The LAB-treated silage increased IVDMD but decreased CH4 production. Thus, the addition of L. casei TH14 inoculant could improve lactic acid fermentation, in vitro digestibility, and CH4 mitigation in the FS mixture silages.

scholarly journals The Relative Performance of a Benchtop Scanning Monochromator and Handheld Fourier Transform Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectrometer in Predicting Forage Nutritive Value

Sensors ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 658
Author(s):  
Matthew F. Digman ◽  
Jerry H. Cherney ◽  
Debbie J. R. Cherney
Keyword(s):  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Neutral Detergent Fiber ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Average Decrease ◽  
Manufacturing Techniques

Advanced manufacturing techniques have enabled low-cost, on-chip spectrometers. Little research exists, however, on their performance relative to the state of technology systems. The present study compares the utility of a benchtop FOSS NIRSystems 6500 (FOSS) to a handheld NeoSpectra-Scanner (NEO) to develop models that predict the composition of dried and ground grass, and alfalfa forages. Mixed-species prediction models were developed for several forage constituents, and performance was assessed using an independent dataset. Prediction models developed with spectra from the FOSS instrument had a standard error of prediction (SEP, % DM) of 1.4, 1.8, 3.3, 1.0, 0.42, and 1.3, for neutral detergent fiber (NDF), true in vitro digestibility (IVTD), neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), and crude protein (CP), respectively. The R2P for these models ranged from 0.90 to 0.97. Models developed with the NEO resulted in an average increase in SEP of 0.14 and an average decrease in R2P of 0.002.

scholarly journals Effect of Substitution of Urea With Different Type and Levels of Ruminant Manure on Nutritive Value of Rice Straw Silage

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-214
Author(s):  
Ali Ameen Saeed ◽  
Saja Intisar Abid
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Rice Straw ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
N Content ◽  
Aerobic Stability

This study was conducted in Nutrition Lab. to investigate the effect of the type and level of substitution of urea with ruminant manure, M (sheep, cow and buffalo) on basis of nitrogen (N) content on the nutritive value of rice straw silage (RSS). Accordingly silages were nominated as, S-RSS, C-RSS and B-RSS. Urea (U) was substituted with dried manure at 6 combinations, 100:0, 90:10, 80:20, 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50 of U:M. Silage samples were prepared by treating chopped straw with pre-treated solution contained 10% low quality debis and 2% urea. Results showed that lower (P˂0.01) DM loss (11.4%) was observed in S-RSS, and with addition of urea only (3.6%).        Samples of S-RSS and C-RSS recorded higher (P˂0.01) Fleig points (Fp) as compared with those prepared by the addition of B-RSS, 60.42, 55.58 and 49.59 respectively. Reduction (P˂0.01) in this parameter was noticed in samples prepared with a combination of 100:0. Aerobic stability (AS) was a reduced (P˂0.01) in samples prepared by addition of S-RSS by 15 and 13 hours in comparison with samples of C-RSS and B-RSS respectively. Samples prepared with combination of 100:0 were prior (P˂0.01) as compared with other samples.        Results also showed an increase (P˂0.01) in in vitro digestibility of organic matter (IVOMD) in samples of S-RSS in comparison with samples prepared by addition of C-RSS and B-RSS, 49.99, 44.59 and 42.77% respectively. Samples prepared with combination of 100:0 recorded lower (P˂0.05) in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDMD) as compared with combinations of 70:30 and 60:40 of U: M, 40.52, 45.36 and 45.94% respectively.

Calorimetry, chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of sugarcane treated with calcium hydroxide

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 406
Author(s):  
Alexandre M. Dias ◽  
Luís C. V. Ítavo ◽  
Júlio C. Damasceno ◽  
Camila C. B. F. Ítavo ◽  
Geraldo T. Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Calcium Hydroxide ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Alkaline Treatment ◽  
In Vitro Digestibility ◽  
Cellulose Structure ◽  
High Dry Matter

Sugarcane is a source of roughage in animal feeding. It presents high production per unit of cultivated area, relatively easy cultivation and low cost of production per hectare, and better quality and a high dry matter (DM) yield in periods when forage is scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of increasing levels of calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2) in sugarcane forage on chemical composition, in vitro digestibility values of DM, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF), and kinetics of thermal decomposition processes of weight loss and heat flow. Sugarcane was collected close to the ground and 50-kg heaps of the fresh material were formed and mixed with four doses of Ca(OH)2 (0, 8, 16 and 24 g kg–1 sugarcane). Concentrations of NDF and ADF decreased linearly with increasing amount of Ca(OH)2, whereas concentration of hemicellulose increased linearly. In vitro digestibilities of DM, NDF and ADF were enhanced in a quadratic manner with increasing amounts of Ca(OH)2. The release of heat, measured by ΔH, increased linearly with increased Ca(OH)2 levels, likely due to enhanced digestibility of the fibre components. Weight loss decreased linearly between 272.2°C and 397.7°C with increased amounts of Ca(OH)2 added to sugarcane, likely due to changes in cellulose structure, which became denser and thermodynamically more stable than native cellulose following the alkaline treatment. Calcium hydroxide changed chemical composition and digestibility of the fibrous fraction of sugarcane, resulting in better nutritional value. The greatest release of heat and highest in vitro digestibility of fibre were observed when adding 15.2 g Ca(OH)2 kg–1 sugarcane; therefore, this dose is recommended to enhance the nutritive value of sugarcane as ruminant feed.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document