The effect of roughage to concentrate ratio in the diet on protein and energy utilization by the non-pregnant ewe

1970 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Robinson ◽  
T. J. Forbes

SUMMARYThirty-six Border Leicester x Scottish Blackface ewes were separated from their lambs after approximately 12 weeks lactation and brought indoors. They were allocated at random to nine dietary treatments comprising three dietary ratios of chopped roughage to concentrate, each offered at three levels of feeding. During the course of the experiment digestibility and nitrogen balance trials were carried out using three ewes from each dietary treatment.The daily nitrogen intakes required for nitrogen equilibrium were calculated from the regressions of nitrogen intake on nitrogen retained for each of the three ratios. The intakes increased from 0·47 g/kg W0·75 on the diet containing the lowest proportion of roughage to 0·59 g/kg W0·75 on the diet containing the highest proportion of roughage. The corresponding digestible organic matter intakes did not differ significantly from the pooled value of 18·8 g/kg W0·75.The daily digestible organic matter intakes required for the maintenance of live weight on the three ratios did not differ significantly from the pooled estimate of 26·9 g/kg W0·75 which is in close agreement with other published results. The nitrogen intakes required for the maintenance of live weight increased from 0·70 on the diet containing the lowest proportion of roughage to 0·84 g/kg W0·75/day on the diet containing the highest proportion of roughage.The coefficients for live-weight change in the regression equations relating digestible organic matter to live weight and live-weight change for each ratio did not differ significantly from the pooled estimate of 2·0 g DOMI/g live-weight change.The significance of the results are discussed in relation, to the nutritional status of the ewe and other research findings.

1968 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Doney ◽  
A. J. F. Russel

SUMMARYIn a series of experiments, each of 6 weeks' duration, non-pregnant Romney, Scottish Blackface and Tasmanian fine-wool Merino ewes were individually penned in an outdoor environment and allocated a constant ration within a range from 8 to 30 g of a standard dried-grass pellet per kg live weight. Maintenance requirements were calculated from the regression of live-weight change per unit weight on intake per unit weight. Comparable values for the three breeds were computed as 8·4, 9·2 and 14·0 g DOM (digestible organic matter)/kg/day for Romney, Blackface and Merino respectively, the latter being significantly higher than for the two British breeds. Estimates of requirements per unit change in live weight, after allowing for maintenance, were 5·1, 4·6 and 3·0 g DOM/g live-weight change for the three breeds. Methods of estimation of energy requirements and the reasons for differences between breeds are discussed.


1990 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Cruickshank ◽  
D. P. Poppi ◽  
A. R. Sykes ◽  
A. S. Familton

SUMMARYThe voluntary food intake, in vivo digestibility and site of nutrient digestion was measured in 12 Polled Dorset ram lambs, from 6 to 24 weeks of age, offered clover hay. Lambs were weaned at 6 weeks of age. Six were fitted with a permanent T-shaped cannula in the abomasum and a temporary rumen catheter during the periods of digesta flow measurement.Surgical modification of lambs did not influence intake (g/kg live weight (W) per day), in vivo digestibility or marker retention time in the rumen. However, intact lambs grew significantly faster than cannulated lambs (139 v. 109g/day, P < 0·05) apparently because of an overall higher cumulative intake over the whole experimental period rather than any change in efficiency of use of nutrients or maintenance requirement.Relative to live weight, intake increased rapidly until c. 10 weeks of age and remained relatively constant at c. 37 g DM/kg W per day for the remainder of the experiment. Age had no effect on in vivo digestibility of organic matter (OM) or neutral detergent fibre (NDF) (average 0·69).The proportion of digestible organic matter apparently digested in the rumen (DOMADR) decreased from 0·63 to 0·47 between 8 and 24 weeks of age whilst intake between these measurement periods increased. Nonammonia N (NAN) flow past the abomasum was similar at all ages in relation to digestible organic matter intake (55·1 g NAN/kg DOMI) but was higher at 16 and 24 weeks of age than at 8 and 12 weeks of age, respectively, in relation to organic matter apparently digested in the rumen (OMADR) (116 and 85 g NAN/kg OMADR, respectively, P < 0·05).Fractional outflow rate of digesta markers from the rumen, when estimated from abomasal digesta, was significantly higher than when estimated from faeces (103Ru-p 0·121 v. 0·09; 51Cr-EDTA 0·169 v. 0·111/h; P > 0·05).It was concluded that cannulation did not affect intake and digestion characteristics in these young lambs. The changes in the site of nutrient digestion as the animals aged may have been due to agerelated changes in digestive function but appeared to be associated with the increase in intake that occurred between measurement periods of the cannulated lambs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 120-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
EK Ndelekwute ◽  
KD Afolabi ◽  
HO Uzegbu ◽  
UL Unah ◽  
KU Amaefule

An experiment was conducted to determine the dietary effect of different levels of ground black pepper (Piper nigrum) on growth performance and apparent nutrient digestibility of broiler chickens. There were five dietary treatments each containing 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 % black pepper (BP) fed at both starter and finisher phases. One hundred and fifty (150) day old chicks of Arbor-acre strain were divided into five dietary groups having three replication with 10 in each. The five dietary treatments were randomly assigned into five groups. The birds were fed and watered ad libitum. At the starter phase 0.25 and 0.5 % BP improved live weight significantly (p<0.05). Feed intake was significantly (p<0.05) reduced at 1.00% BP. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in daily gain, feed: gain ratio and protein efficiency ratio. At the finisher phase, final live weight was improved by 0.25% (p<0.05). Final live weight, feed intake, weight gain, feed: gain ratio and protein efficiency ratio were negatively affected by 0.75 and 1.0%BP. Fecal moisture was significantly (P<0.05) reduced by 0.25% while dry matter, protein and ether extract digestibility were improved by all the levels of BP. None of the BP levels improved crude fibre digestibility (p>0.05) over the control. NFE and energy utilization were improved by 0.25 and 0.5%, but significantly (p<0.05) reduced by 1.00% BP.Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2015. 44(2): 120-127


2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 155 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. W. Karda ◽  
G. McL. Dryden

Tarramba leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala cv. Tarramba) foliage had per kilogram dry matter, 169 g protein and 29.8 g condensed tannins. Its value as a supplement, given either with or without urea, to sheep given a low-quality Callide Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana cv. Callide) hay was studied. Six rumen fistulated sheep (mean s.d. liveweight, 34 1.4 kg) were used to compare 6 dietary treatments in an incomplete latin square design. Rhodes grass hay was given ad libitum either alone, or with urea 7 g/day (U), or with leucaena 150 g/day (L150), or leucaena with urea (L150U), or leucaena 300 g/day (L300), or leucaena with urea (L300U). Digestible organic matter intake was increased significantly by leucaena supplementation although digestibility of the whole diet did not alter. Rumen fluid ammonia-N was not altered by leucaena supplementation, but was increased by urea. This suggests that Tarramba foliage protein has some resistance to ruminal degradation. Liquid and solids passage rates were not affected by the treatments. Microbial nitrogen supply to the intestine (g/day), and the efficiency of microbial nitrogen synthesis (g/kg organic matter apparently digested in the rumen), were increased by leucaena supplementation (P<0.01). Microbial protein synthesis was the only response in which 300 g/day air-dry Tarramba foliage gave improved results over 150 g/day.


2006 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 15-20
Author(s):  
L.M.M. Ferreira ◽  
M. Oliván ◽  
M.A.M. Rodrigues ◽  
A. Dias-da-Silva ◽  
K. Osoro

SummaryAn experiment was carried out to evaluate the use of alkanes for estimating diet composition of goats and sheep offered three different dietary treatments. Twelve animals as two groups of 4 crossbred goats (G1, 24 kg live weight; G2, 22 kg) and 4 crossbred sheep (S, 26 kg live weight), were housed in metabolism pens. Animals were offered daily a total of 1 kg DM/100 kg live weight. G1 received 70% ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and 30% gorse (Ulex gallii), G2 received 70% ryegrass and 30% heather (Erica sp.) and S group ate 100% ryegrass. Diet composition was estimated from the alkane concentrations (using all alkanes from C23 to C36 or only odd-chain alkanes C27, C29, C31 and C33) in diet and faeces (with or without correction for incomplete faecal recoveries) using least-squares procedures.Dietary treatment and animal species significantly affected alkane faecal recoveries, except for C24 and C36. When applying the faecal recovery corrections, there were no significant differences between measured proportions of dietary components and those estimated using all alkanes or odd-chain alkanes. In contrast, the proportions calculated without faecal recovery correction differed significantly (P<0.05) from the actual proportions and over-estimated the amount in the diet of those plant components with higher concentrations of long-chain alkanes (Erica sp. and Lolium perenne). The results indicate that alkanes are useful markers to estimate diet composition, however, it was observed that animal species and diet composition influenced the faecal recovery of alkanes. This suggests that the use of the alkane methodology for estimating the diet selection of grazing animals should be preceded by a calculation of the actual alkane faecal recoveries for each experimental condition.


1987 ◽  
Vol 108 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Gill ◽  
D. E. Beever ◽  
P. J. Buttery ◽  
P. England ◽  
M. J. Gibb ◽  
...  

SummaryThe effect of oestradiol-17β on the response to fishmeal supplementation of grass silage was studied in young growing cattle. Voluntary intake and live-weight gain were recorded over 63 days with 36 British Friesian male castrates (initial live weight (LW) 119 kg) offered silage alone (C) or with 50 (FM1), 100 (FM2), or 150 (FM3) g fishmeal/kg silage dry matter. Twelve calves were allocated to each of treatments C and FM3 and six to treatments FM1 and FM2. Half of the calves on each treatment were ear-implanted with oestradiol-17β (Compudose 365) at the start of the experiment. The calves on treatments C and FM3 were slaughtered after 75 days and chemical analysis conducted on half of each carcass. The silage had an organic-matter digestibility in vivo of 0·794 and was well-fermented, with a pH of 3·7. Intake averaged 24·2±0·42 g D.M./kg LW over all the treatments and live-weight gain was 0·77 kg/day on the silage alone. There was a significant (P < 0·05) interaction between fishmeal and oestradiol-17β, such that response to the hormone was observed only in the presence of fishmeal at 100 or 150 g/kg silage D.M. A similar interaction was apparent between fishmeal at 150 g/kg silage D.M. and oestradiol-17β in the final weights of empty body and carcass. This level of fishmeal also increased protein gain from 96 to 147 g/day and this was further increased to 179 g/day in the implanted animals receiving fishmeal. However, the overall effect of oestradiol-17β on protein gain was not significant. Gross efficiency of energy utilization was significantly (P < 0·01) increased by fishmeal supplementation suggesting an improved balance of nutrients compared with the silage alone diet.


1978 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-413 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Broster ◽  
T. Smith ◽  
J. W. Siviter ◽  
E. Schuller ◽  
Valerie J. Broster

SUMMARYFive experiments were made to observe the effect on nitrogen (N) utilization by young cattle of supplements of sucrose, glucose monohydrate (dextrose), and maize starch when added to basal diets of concentrates and straw. The supplements provided about 12% of the total intake of air-dry food. Twenty-four yearling Friesian heifers were used in each of two randomized block experiments to measure live-weight gain, and 6, 10 and 10 yearling Friesian steers in three changeover design experiments to measure N retention.Rates of live-weight gain and N retention were increased by all the supplements amongst which no order of superiority in benefit conferred could be established. The improvement in N retention was associated with a marked reduction in urinary N and a small increase in faecal N with supplemented rations.The proportions of volatile fatty acids (VFA) in rumen fluid were not affected by starch supplementation. Both sugars, but glucose more than sucrose, decreased the ratio of acetic to propionic acid, measured 2 h after feeding.Statistically significant multiple linear regression equations were observed between N retained and intakes of N and digestible organic matter (DOM), both as absolute amounts with live weight as a further independent variate, and as intakes/unit metabolic body size. N2and DOM × N as additional variates did not benefit the fit of the equations over the range of intakes studied.


1973 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. I. Robinson ◽  
W. Brown ◽  
I. A. M. Lucas

SUMMARYPregnant Welsh Mountain ewes were kept over winter on a hill. All were penned individually, either in a shed or out of doors. In Experiments 1 and 2 different levels of digestible organic matter (DOM) were given in each environment and in Experiment 3 only a single level was offered. In Experiment 2 all ewes were grazed together after lambing; in Experiment 3 some from each treatment were moved to a shed after lambing and their milk yields recorded between 10 and 15 days later.In a fourth experiment on low land, pregnant ewes were either housed or kept in an exposed or a sheltered paddock. All were grazed together after lambing.The results indicated that the requirement of indoors penned sheep to maintain body weight and produce a single lamb is 9·5 g DOM/kg live weight per 24 hr at 16 weeks pre-partum, rising to 15·0 g DOM/kg live weight per 24 hr at 1 week pre-partum. A 10% weight loss during pregnancy would be expected in ewes receiving 75 to 80 % of these requirements. Low intakes during pregnancy reduced wool growth and lamb birth weights.Outdoor exposure reduced pre-partum ewe weight by about 1·5 kg, and so was equivalent to a 10% reduction in daily DOM intake. The magnitude of this effect was not changed significantly by level of feeding. Exposure did not affect wool growth and its influence on lamb birth weight and growth was variable.


1981 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Doney ◽  
R. G. Gunn ◽  
J. N. Peart ◽  
W. F. Smith

ABSTRACTScottish Blackface ewes in uniform, good, body condition at mating were differentially fed during pregnancy, such that two groups lost 0·15 to 0·20 (groups A and B) and one group gained 0·05 (group C) of maternal live weight by lambing time. The treatments had little effect on the number of lambs born per ewe lambing (1·39, 1·46 and 148 respectively).Prior to parturition, group A was transferred to a poor hill pasture, and groups B and C to an improved upland reseeded pasture. Herbage intake by six single- and six twin-suckling ewes from each group was estimated in the 3rd, 6th and 8th week after parturition, and mean daily milk production was estimated on 1 day following each intake measurement period. Herbage intake by six dry ewes in each of groups A and B was also estimated.There were significant differences amongst groups A, B and C, respectively, in mean organic matter digestibility of the herbage consumed (0·701, 0·771 and 0·773), mean daily digestible organic-matter intake (1·06, 1·46 and 1·46kg), mean live-weight change over the period ( –2·9, +5·4 and +l·3kg) and mean daily milk yield (0·64, 1·93 and 1·95 kg).By the following mating time, after grazing the same pasture from weaning, there was still a difference in body condition score according to pasture type during lactation (2·08, 2·36 and 2·29, respectively). Ovulation rate measured after mating was consistent with the direct effect of body condition (1·34, 1·56 and 1·52, respectively).


2013 ◽  
Vol 152 (4) ◽  
pp. 667-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. DAVID ◽  
C. H. E. C. POLI ◽  
J. V. SAVIAN ◽  
G. A. AMARAL ◽  
E. B. AZEVEDO ◽  
...  

SUMMARYThe current research was carried out to evaluate the use of crude protein and fibre components in faeces for estimating intake and digestibility in sheep fed with pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum (L.) Leeke). The equations were developed from four trials in metabolism cages with 16 sheep in each trial. Each animal received a different quantity of millet leaves in the diet: 0·015, 0·020 and 0·025 dry matter (DM) as a proportion of live weight (LW) and ad libitum with at least 0·2 of daily feed refusals. Organic matter intake (OMI, g/day) was measured, through the difference between offer and refusals; total faeces were collected for 5 days, which was used to determine faecal crude protein (CPf, g/day and g/kg of organic matter (OM)), faecal neutral detergent fibre (NDFf, g/day and g/kg OM), faecal acid detergent fibre (ADFf, g/day and g/kg OM) and OM digestibility (OMD). Linear regression equations were calculated to determine the relationship between OMI and CPf (P<0·001, R2=0·90, relative prediction error (RPE=14·02%). A multiple linear equation was generated for OMI including CPf and NDFf (P<0·001, R2=0·94; RPE=9·25%). Hyperbolic (single and multiple) and exponential models were tested to estimate OMD, where the hyperbolic multiple model including CPf and NDFf showed lower RPE (3·90%). These equations for estimating OMI and OMD were evaluated on sheep grazing P. americanum fertilized with increasing levels of nitrogen (N) (50, 100, 200 and 400 kg N/ha), comparing measured and estimated OMI. The intake estimated by multiple regression (CP and NDFf) showed a higher R2 (0·98) and lower RPE (5·25%) than the simple (CPf only) linear equation (R2=0·94; RPE=20·45%). The results demonstrated the feasibility of using the faecal index generated in metabolism cages for estimating intake and digestibility in sheep grazing P. americanum.


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