The effect of bentonite on wool growth, liveweight change and rumen fermentation in sheep

1990 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Murray ◽  
JB Rowe ◽  
EM Aitchison

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the use of 3 bentonite clays in sheep. Seventy-eight Merino ewes (about 20 months of age) were housed individually and fed either a pelleted diet based on lucerne, lupins and barley or chaffed wheat-hay. The experiment consisted of an initial period (8 weeks) during which all animals received these diets without bentonite, followed by a 9-week experimental period when bentonite clays were included in the feed at a level of 25 g/kg. None of the 3 bentonite clays had any significant effect on liveweight change or wool growth in sheep fed either diet. There was also no significant effect of the clays on rumen ammonia or volatile fatty acids concentrations in sheep fed wheat chaff. In sheep fed the pelleted diet, 2 of the clay samples increased the molar proportions of acetate and decreased the molar proportion of propionate relative to the control group.


1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
EM Aitchison ◽  
IG Ralph ◽  
JB Rowe

Three feed additives were studied for their potential to improve wool growth in sheep fed 2 diets; oaten chaff, or a pelleted mixture (g/kg) of lucerne (590), lupins (250), barley (1 50) and a mineral and vitamin mix (10). Additives were included with each diet as follows (mg/kg feed): avoparcin 25,50,75; flavomycin 5, 15, 30; lasalocid 30, 50, 70. Diets were fed at maintenance to mature Merino wethers for 9 weeks, and measurements were made of wool growth and rumen fermentation characteristics. Animals fed the pelleted diet grew more wool than those fed the chaff diet (6.3 compared with 5.1 g/m2.day, P<0.001), but none of the additives resulted in any significant differences in wool growth compared with the controls. The additives avoparcin and lasalocid increased the ratio of the volatile fatty acids propionate:acetate in animals eating both of the diets (P< 0.001), but flavomycin had no significant effect. Rumen ammonia concentration was increased with avoparcin on both diets (P< 0.001) and with lasalocid and flavomycin on the pelleted diet ( P < 0.05). None of the additives tested significantly influenced liveweight change in comparison with the control groups.



1990 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 987 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Murray ◽  
JB Rowe ◽  
EM Aitchison

The feed additive flavomycin, a glycolipid antibiotic, was evaluated for its potential to improve wool growth in sheep fed two pelleted diets: one based on lucerne chaff and lupin grain and the other on wheat chaff and fishmeal. Seventy-eight weaner ewes, approximately 20 months of age and mean weight of 32 kg (s.e. � 0.3), were placed in individual pens and fed the pelleted diets at a level equivalent to 3.5% of the mean liveweight of the group. The experiment consisted of an initial period (8 weeks) during which all animals received their respective diets with no flavomycin, followed by an experimental period (9 weeks) during which the animals received their diets with flavomycin. Flavomycin was included at three different rates (l0, 20 and 40 ppm) in both diets (nine sheep/level) during the experimental period and twelve sheep were fed each of the unmedicated diets (no flavomycin). Feed intakes were measured daily and animals weighed weekly. Wool growth was measured for the initial and experimental periods by clipping a mid-side patch of about 100 cm2. In sheep fed the lucernellupin based diet, flavomycin increased liveweight gain ( P < 0.05) at 20 ppm but had no effect on wool production, whereas in those fed the hay/fishmeal diet, there was a linear decrease in liveweight gain (P < 0.001) (161, 151, 142, 130 g day-1) and a dose related increase in clean wool production (P<0.01) (12.9, 14.5, 15.2, 15.3 g m-2 day-1) with increasing rates of flavomycin (0, 10, 20, 40 ppm respectively). There was no significant effect of flavomycin on fibre diameter in the sheep fed either diet. The inclusion of flavomycin in both diets significantly increased the molar proportions of propionate in the rumen fluid and in sheep on the hay/fishmeal pellet it reduced the concentration of rumen ammonia. The time animals took to eat their ration was increased with the inclusion of flavomycin in the hay/fishmeal diet.



Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Yichong Wang ◽  
Sijiong Yu ◽  
Yang Li ◽  
Shuang Zhang ◽  
Xiaolong Qi ◽  
...  

Nutritional strategies can be employed to mitigate greenhouse emissions from ruminants. This article investigates the effects of polyphenols extracted from the involucres of Castanea mollissima Blume (PICB) on in vitro rumen fermentation. Three healthy Angus bulls (350 ± 50 kg), with permanent rumen fistula, were used as the donors of rumen fluids. A basic diet was supplemented with five doses of PICB (0%–0.5% dry matter (DM)), replicated thrice for each dose. Volatile fatty acids (VFAs), ammonia nitrogen concentration (NH3-N), and methane (CH4) yield were measured after 24 h of in vitro fermentation, and gas production was monitored for 96 h. The trial was carried out over three runs. The results showed that the addition of PICB significantly reduced NH3-N (p < 0.05) compared to control. The 0.1%–0.4% PICB significantly decreased acetic acid content (p < 0.05). Addition of 0.2% and 0.3% PICB significantly increased the propionic acid content (p < 0.05) and reduced the acetic acid/propionic acid ratio, CH4 content, and yield (p < 0.05). A highly significant quadratic response was shown, with increasing PICB levels for all the parameters abovementioned (p < 0.01). The increases in PICB concentration resulted in a highly significant linear and quadratic response by 96-h dynamic fermentation parameters (p < 0.01). Our results indicate that 0.2% PICB had the best effect on in-vitro rumen fermentation efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas production.



1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Carro ◽  
A. R. Mantecón ◽  
I. A. Wright ◽  
I. J. Gordon

AbstractEffects of time of supplementation on forage intake, nutrient apparent digestibility and rumen fermentation were studied with 12 mature castrated male sheep (wethers) offered grass hay from 16.30 h to 09.30 h and supplemented with a cereal-based concentrate given at either 09.30 or 16.00 h. Voluntary intake of hay organic matter (OM) was decreased by feeding the concentrate (P< 0·01). Offering concentrate at 09.30 h after hay was available, increased intake of hay and total OM compared with offering it at 16.00 h before hay was available (P< 0·05). Daily pattern of hay intake was not changed when concentrate was offered at 09.30 h compared with feeding hay alone, but concentrate given at 16.00 h resulted in a lower hay intake between 16.30 and 18.00 h. Sheep offered concentrate at 09.30 h had higher rumen ammonia levels than those offered concentrate at 16.00 h, but there were no differences in the apparent digestibility of the nutrients, rumen pH and molar proportions of the main volatile fatty acids. There were also no differences between groups in the blood plasma concentrations of 3-hydroxybutyrate (30HB), nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) and glucose. It is concluded that feeding supplement after rather than before a period of intake of forage or a bout of grazing may offer a means of minimizing reduction of forage intake as a consequence of feeding concentrate.



2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 2621
Author(s):  
Ludmila Couto Gomes ◽  
Claudete Regina Alcalde ◽  
Julio Cesar Damasceno ◽  
Luiz Paulo Rigolon ◽  
Ana Paula Silva Possamai ◽  
...  

Feeding goats with calcium salts of fatty acids (CSFA) can supply ruminants with lipids, with minimal effects on ruminal fermentation and fiber digestibility. However, there is a shortage of information on the effect of CSFA on characteristics of rumen fermentation in grassland goats. Thus, the present study aimed to assess the addition of CSFA to concentrate on the parameters of rumen fermentation of grazing goats. Five rumen cannulated goats were distributed in a Latin square 5x5 design (treatments: 0%, 1.5%, 3.0%, 4.5% and 6.0% CSFA. The pH, ammonia N and volatile fatty acids (VFA) content were analyzed in the ruminal fluid at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours after concentrate supplementation. The pH and ammonia N concentration showed a linear effect with the addition of CSFA. There was no effect observed for the VFA molar concentration after grazing goats were fed with the experimental diet. In conclusion, further research is needed to investigate the addition of CSFA to goat diets because there is evidence that CSFA increases ruminal pH and decreases excess ruminal ammonia without changing the VFA concentration in the rumen fluid.



2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guadalupe Martínez ◽  
Susana N. Diéguez ◽  
María B. Fernández Paggi ◽  
María B. Riccio ◽  
Denisa S. Pérez Gaudio ◽  
...  

AbstractIntestinal health of weaning piglets was studied after oral treatments with fosfomycin (FOS),Cynara scolymusextract (CSE), deoxynivalenol (DON) and their combinations. Piglets were divided in groups and received different treatments during 15 days, namely DON (1mg/kg of feed), FOS administered into the drinking water (30 mg/kg b.w.), CSE (300 g/ton of feed) and all possible combinations including a control group that received clean balanced diet. At day 15, three piglets from each group were euthanized and gastrointestinal tract samples were immediately taken to evaluate pH, bacteriology (enterobacteria and lactic acid bacteria), volatile fatty acids concentration (VFAs), disaccharidases activity (lactase, sucrase and maltase), histology (intestinal absorptive area [IAA] and goblet cells count) and adherence of bacteria to intestinal mucus. Animals receiving FOS and CSE treatments exhibited evident beneficial intestinal effects compared to animals receiving diets free from these compounds. This was revealed by a lower enterobacteria population together with a lower E/L, an enhanced production of butyric acid, an increased enzymatic activity (particularly maltase), and a greater IAA and goblet cells count along with an increase in pathogenic bacteria adherence to intestinal mucus. Interactions between both treatments resulted in similar beneficial effects as their individual administration. On the contrary, DON produced detrimental effects on intestinal health as a decrease was observed on volatile fatty acids production, enzymatic activity and goblet cells count in animals receiving diets containing sub- toxic concentrations of this mycotoxin. The knowledge of the intestinal effects of these compounds contributes to understand the physiological and pathological gut changes and their potential productive consequences.



2011 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qendrim Zebeli ◽  
Sarah J Terrill ◽  
Alberto Mazzolari ◽  
Suzanna M Dunn ◽  
Wen Z Yang ◽  
...  

This study evaluated the effects of intraruminal administration ofMegasphaera elsdeniion ruminal fermentation patterns, the profile of plasma metabolites, and milk yield and composition of mid-lactation dairy cows. Eight primiparous, ruminally cannulated Holstein cows were arranged in a paired 2×2 crossover design. Cows were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: 1) intraruminal inoculation of 35 ml suspension per day ofM. elsdeniiATCC 25940 (MEGA), containing 108cfu/ml of bacteria, dissolved in 35 ml of saline (0·15m), or 2) carrier alone (35 ml saline; CTR). Both postprandial and preprandial rumen volatile fatty acids (VFA) and plasma metabolite measurements were analysed. Postprandial VFA patterns were affected the most, with butyrate (P<0·01) and valerate (P<0·01) proportions increasing, and acetate (P<0·01), isobutyrate (P=0·05) and isovalerate (P<0·01) decreasing in MEGA cows. Preprandial data measured at various days showed that MEGA dosage tended to increase the molar proportion of propionate (P=0·09) and lower the acetate to propionate ratio (P=0·07) in the rumen fluid. There was no effect of treatment on rumen pH and on the concentration of lactate in the rumen as well as on selected preprandial plasma metabolites. Postprandial plasma concentrations of cholesterol tended to increase (P=0·07) in MEGA cows compared with CTR. Concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) in the plasma were lower in MEGA cows after the morning feeding (P<0·01). Sampling hour also affected plasma NEFA in this study. Plasma β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) were not affected by the treatment (P>0·05); however, after the morning feeding BHBA concentration was increased in both groups of cows. Dry matter intake and milk yield and composition were not affected by treatment. In conclusion, results indicate thatM. elsdeniihas the potential to modulate the rumen fermentation profile in mid-lactation Holstein cows, but these effects were only slightly reflected in changes in plasma metabolites and milk composition.



1968 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Steele ◽  
J. H. Moore

SummaryThe effects of the isocaloric replacement of part of the dietary concentrate mixture by cottonseed oil on the yield and composition of the milk fat and on the pattern of rumen fermentation was investigated in 2 feeding experiments with a total of 8 cows in mid-lactation. The concentrate mixtures were given with high- or low-roughage diets that supplied 9·1 or 1·8 kg of hay/day.In expt 1 the yield of milk fat was not altered by the addition of 10% cottonseed oil to the concentrate mixtures given either with the high- or with the low-levels of dietary roughage. On the low-roughage treatment, dietary cottonseed oil increased milk yield but reduced the fat content of the milk. The change from the high- to the low-roughage diets containing no cottonseed oil resulted in reductions in the yield and percentage of fat in the milk. In expt 2 the yields of milk and milk fat were similar irrespective of whether the concentrate mixture contained 5 or 10% cottonseed oil.In expt 1 the inclusion of 10% cottonseed oil in the concentrate mixture reduced the yields and percentages of the medium-chain fatty acids (12:0, 14:0 and 16:0) and increased the yields and percentages of the C18 fatty acids in the milk fat. In expt 2, when the concentrate mixture contained 5% cottonseed oil, the yields and percentages of all the fatty acids in the milk fat were similar to the values obtained when the concentrates contained 10% cottonseed oil. For any given concentrate mixture, the change from the high- to the low-roughage treatments in both expts 1 and 2 resulted in increases in the percentage of oleic acid in the milk fat. The highest concentration of trans-octadecenoic acid was observed in the milk fat of the cows when they were given the high-roughage diet with the concentrate mixture containing 10% cottonseed oil.In expt 2 the level of cottonseed oil in the concentrate mixture did not influence the pattern of rumen fermentation as measured by the concentrations of the various volatile fatty acids in the rumen liquor. However, the change from the high- to the low-roughage diets reduced the proportion of acetic and increased the proportions of propionic and n-valeric acids in the total volatile fatty acids in the rumen liquor.



2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cleyber José Trindade de Fátima ◽  
Carla Lopes de Mendonça ◽  
Adony Querubino de Andrade Neto ◽  
Adalberto Freire do Nascimento Júnior ◽  
Sergio Peres Ramos da Silva ◽  
...  

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the energetic and hormonal profiles of dairy goats fed diets supplemented with monensin during the peripartum period. Eleven pregnant Saanen goats were subdivided into two random groups, a control group (GC) and the monensin group (MG). The MG group received 40 mg sodium monensin per animal per day for 15 days before partum and throughout the subsequent experimental period. Clinical observations and sample collection were performed at 30, 15, and 7 days before birth; on the day of partum; and at 5, 15, and 30 days after birth. The following biochemical and hormonal profile variables analyzed were: cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, fructosamine, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), cortisol, and insulin. The ruminal fluid pH, chloride content, and volatile fatty acids were also measured. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using repeated measures ANOVA (p < 0.05) and Pearson's correlation. At partum, the MG group had lower values of NEFAs and lower acetate/propionate ratio. MG had higher triglycerides during the entire experiment period. The administration of monensin generated benefits in terms of energy parameters, improving the metabolic status of the dairy goats during peripartum.



2014 ◽  
Vol 59 (No. 10) ◽  
pp. 450-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Gunal ◽  
A. Ishlak ◽  
A.A. AbuGhazaleh ◽  
W. Khattab

The effects of adding essential oils (EO) at different levels (125, 250, 500 mg/l) on rumen fermentation and biohydrogenation were examined in a rumen batch culture study. Treatments were: control without EO (CON), control with anise oil (ANO), cedar wood oil (CWO), cinnamon oil (CNO), eucalyptus oil (EUO), and tea tree oil (TEO). Essential oils, each dissolved in 1 ml of ethanol, were added to the culture flask containing 40 ml of buffer solution, 2 ml of reduction solution, 10 ml of rumen fluid, 25 mg of soybean oil, and 0.5 g of the diet. After 24 h of incubation in a water batch at 39&deg;C, three samples were collected from each flask and analyzed for ammonia-N, volatile fatty acids (VFA), and fatty acids (FA). Expect for CNO, the proportions of acetate, propionate, and acetate to propionate ratios were not affected (P &gt; 0.05) by EO addition. Addition of CWO, CNO, and TEO reduced total VFA concentrations (P &lt; 0.05) regardless of dose level. The ammonia-N concentration was greater in cultures incubated with EO regardless of dose level. Compared with the CON, the concentrations of C18:0 and trans C18:1 were reduced (P &lt; 0.05) with EO addition regardless of dose level. Compared with the CON, the concentration of linoleic acid was greater (P &lt; 0.05) when EO were added at 500&nbsp;mg/l. EO tested in this study had no effects on VFA profile but significantly reduced the formation of biohydrogenation products (C18:0 and trans C18:1).



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