The effects of nematode parasitism on the rate of passage of food residues through the alimentary tract of sheep

1. The mean retention time of stained food residues was longer in sheep maintained on a chopped straw ration than in sheep maintained on a chopped lucerne ration.2. Infection of sheep with 1500 infective Oesophagostomum columbianum juveniles was associated with increased mean retention times.3. The extent to which the mean retention times were increased was associated with the diet and mode of infection of the sheep.4. It was noted that an increase in mean retention time following infection was associated with a general decrease in food intake per kg live eight0.75.5. The results are discussed in relation to the pathogenesis and survival of O.columbianum infections in sheep.

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The effects of pregnancy of the passage of food through the digestive tract of sheep

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/ar9620894 ◽

1962 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 894 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Graham N McC ◽

AJ Williams

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Digestive Tract ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Late Pregnancy ◽

Daily Food Intake ◽

Mean Retention Time ◽

Daily Food ◽

The Mean ◽

Food Residues ◽

Four Levels

The rate of passage of food residues through the digestive tract of pregnant and non-pregnant Merino ewes was measured at four levels of feeding. The passage of digesta became more rapid as the level of feeding was increased, or, the intake being constant, as pregnancy advanced. The mean retention time fell by 3 hr per 100 g increase of food intake, and by 1 to 1½ hr per 100 g increase of estimated weight of concepta at constant intake. The digesta increased by about 150 g dry matter (depending on level of feeding) per 100 g increase of daily food intake and fell by about 150 g per 1000 g increase of estimated weight of concepta. Two alternative explanations of the changes of rate of passage during pregnancy are discussed. While reduction of the quantity of digesta by the increasing bulk of the uterus would tend to curtail appetite, increase of the flow of digesta as a physiological side-effect of pregnancy would tend to enhance appetite. In either case, more rapid passage of digesta would depress the digestibility of some rations and so contribute to undernutrition in late pregnancy.

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The rate of passage of food through the alimentary tract of pigs

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859600040119 ◽

1956 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 196-204 ◽

Cited By ~ 47

Author(s):

Elizabeth J. Castle ◽

M. E. Castle

Keyword(s):

Retention Time ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Alimentary Tract ◽

Live Weight ◽

Matter Content ◽

Dry Matter Content ◽

Mean Retention Time ◽

A Value ◽

The Mean ◽

Fattening Pigs

A method for measuring the rate of passage of meal through the alimentary tract of pigs by feeding a stained marker is described. The results are given of sixty-four experiments made under standardized conditions on four fattening pigs with live weights ranging from 49·9 to 185·5 lb. and six experiments on a sow weighing 500 lb.Results were expressed by means of excretion curves. These were sigmoid in shape and from them a value termed R, the mean retention time (hr.) of all the stained particles in the alimentary tract, directly proportional to the area to the left of the curve, was calculated.In the fattening piga the first appearance of the marker in the faeces occurred 10–24 hr. after feeding, and the mean 5 and 95% excretion times were 21 and 53 hr. respectively. The marker was completely excreted after approximately 80–90 hr. The R value averaged 34·2 hr.A marker fed at the morning feed (9 a.m.) had earlier 5 and 95% excretion times and the R value was significantly smaller.There was no statistically significant relationship between the R values and live weight, digestibility of the dry matter of the ration or the dry-matter content of the faeces.In the sow the 5 and 95% excretion times were 38 and 68 hr. respectively, and the R value averaged 51·1 hr.Counts of stained particles in the intestines of two of the pigs after slaughter showed that food was delayed mainly in the large intestine.

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Rate of passage of digesta in sheep

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1079/bjn19730029 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 231-240 ◽

Cited By ~ 83

Author(s):

W. L. Grovum ◽

V. J. Williams

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Large Intestine ◽

Retention Time ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Mean Retention Time ◽

The Mean ◽

Sodium And Potassium

1. Three groups of sheep receiving 400, 800 and 1200 g lucerne chaff/d in equal hourly meals were killed. The large intestines were removed and divided into segments 15 cm long to provide information on the amounts and dry-matter contents of digesta and on the rates of passage of digesta and absorption of water along the large intestine.2. With increasing intakes of food, increases were observed along the entire large intestine in the amounts of wet digesta present, in the transit rates of digesta and in the rates of absorption of water. The mean retention time of digesta in the large intestine decreased with increasing food intake, being 1737, 1056 and 692 min respectively.3. Four patterns of sodium and potassium concentrations in digesta water along the large intestine were found.

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Further studies of the rate of passage of food through the alimentary tract of pigs

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859600034389 ◽

1957 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 106-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Elizabeth J. Castle ◽

M. E. Castle

Keyword(s):

Retention Time ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Inverse Relationship ◽

Alimentary Tract ◽

Matter Content ◽

Dry Matter Content ◽

Mean Retention Time ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Mean ◽

Sigmoid Shape

1. Four replicated experiments were made to determine the rate of passage of meal through the alimentary tract of pigs on different feeding treatments. In each experiment stained meal was used and the results were expressed by means of excretion curves. From these, mean retention times (R values) were calculated. All the curves were of a similar sigmoid shape.2. A significant inverse relationship was found between the mean retention time and the total weight (meal plus water) of the ration. This relationship was found when (a) the weight of meal was constant and the weight of water was varied, (b) the weight of water was constant and the weight of meal was varied, and (c) the total combined weight of meal and water (at the same ratio) was varied.3. The digestibility of the dry matter and crudec protein in Exps. 1–3 was not altered greatly as a result of the different feeding treatments.4. In Exp. 4, similar rates of passage were found in pigs fed on the two rations of widely different digestibilities.5. The dry-matter content of the faeces of the pigs was remarkably constant over a wide range of water and food intakes when using the same meal.

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Factors limiting the intake of feed by sheep. III. The mean retention time of feed particles in sections of the alimentary tract

Australian Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.1071/ar9680261 ◽

1968 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 261 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

RH Weston

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Organic Matter ◽

Retention Time ◽

Small Proportion ◽

Alimentary Tract ◽

Small Particles ◽

Mean Retention Time ◽

The Mean ◽

Ad Libitum ◽

The Difference

The mean retention time of feed particles in the alimentary tract of sheep was measured by means of a stained-particle technique, when lucerne hay or a diet of wheaten straw + wheaten hay (1 : 1) was offered ad libitum. The levels of intake of the straw diet and lucerne hay were equivalent to 11.8 and 25.8 g organic matter/day/kg body weight. The mean retention time of particles in the entire alimentary tract when the straw diet was offered was 57.5 hr, this consisting of 36.3 hr in the rumen + omasum and 21.2 hr in the abomasum + intestines. The retention time in the rumen + omasum was calculated to consist of (a) 19.7 hr during which the particles were being degraded to a size at which transfer from the rumen could be readily effected, and (b) 16.6 hr of residence in the rumen + omasum as small particles. With lucerne hay, the retention times were shorter: small particles spent 10.8 hr in the rumen + omasum and retention time in the abomasum + intestines was 16.1 hr. It was calculated that only a small proportion of the difference between the straw diet and lucerne hay in organic matter intake could be attributable to differences between the diets in the rate of removal of finely divided particles of organic matter from the rumen.

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Assessment of the heterogeneous ruminal fiber pool and development of a mathematical approach for predicting the mean retention time of feeds in goats1

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.2527/jas.2013-6866 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 92 (3) ◽

pp. 1099-1109 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

J. G. L. Regadas Filho ◽

L. O. Tedeschi ◽

R. A. M. Vieira ◽

M. T. Rodrigues

Keyword(s):

Retention Time ◽

Mathematical Approach ◽

Mean Retention Time ◽

The Mean

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Digestion and retention time of stained food in sheep

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859600081764 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 109 (3) ◽

pp. 545-549 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

B. Fadlalla ◽

R. N. B. Kay

Keyword(s):

Retention Time ◽

Brilliant Green ◽

Mean Retention Time ◽

The Mean ◽

Oat Husk

SummaryThe suitability of stained food and [103Ru]phenanthroline-treated food as markers for measuring dietary retention time was examined in sheep. The digestibility of oat husk, assessed by incubation of samples contained in nylon bags in the rumen, was greatly depressed by staining with brilliant green, and slightly depressed by basic fuschsin. The latter effect appeared largely to be due to boiling rather than the stain itself.When milled hay treated with both basic fuschsin and [103Ru]phenanthroline was introduced into the rumen, the mean retention time estimated with the stain was about 40% longer than that estimated with [103Ru]phenanthroline.

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Retention time of chromium-labelled feed particles and of water in the gut of sheep given hay and concentrate at maintenance

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1079/bjn19850065 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 53 (3) ◽

pp. 559-567 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

J. E. Lindberg

Keyword(s):

Pisum Sativum ◽

Cottonseed Meal ◽

Retention Time ◽

Rapeseed Meal ◽

Mean Retention Time ◽

Faecal Samples ◽

Grass Hay ◽

The Mean ◽

Chopped Grass

1. Sheep were given a diet of 400 g chopped grass hay/d and 500 g crushed barley/d in three equal meals. The mean retention time in the whole gut (MRT) and the rumen retention time (RRT) of chromium-labelled feed particles and of water were estimated from marker concentrations in faecal samples.2. MRT of Cr-labelled hay (Cr-H), barley hulls (Cr-Bh), crushed peas (Pisum sativum) (Cr-CP) and rapeseed meal (Cr-RSM) were 53.5, 52.3, 44.3 and 37.0 h respectively when estimated from total faecal collections. The estimates obtained from spot samples of faeces were almost identical.3. RRT of Cr-H, Cr-Bh, Cr-CP, Cr-RSM (Expts 1, 2 and 3) and Cr-labelled cottonseed meal (Cr-CSM) was 35.9, 36.7, 25.3, 18.8, 19.8, 22.8 and 25.3 h respectively.4. The Cr-labelled feed particles showed marked variations in density in water (Dω). However, both MRT and RRT were closely related to Dω, (r—0.88 and —0.95 respectively).5. Rumen outflow rates of Cr-RSM in individual animals were related to the rumen outflow rates of water (r 0.76).

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The effect of the physical form of the diet on the consumption of solid food by calves, and the distribution of food residues in their alimentary tracts

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s000335610001686x ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 129-138 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

J. Hodgson

Keyword(s):

Dry Matter ◽

Alimentary Tract ◽

Dry Matter Intake ◽

Mean Retention Time ◽

Critical Studies ◽

Abdominal Organs ◽

Physical Form ◽

Food Residues ◽

Pelleted Diet ◽

Voluntary Food Intake

SUMMARY1. British Friesian male calves were offered, in two experiments, either chopped, or ground and pelleted dried grass diets to appetite. In one experiment the pelleted diet was also given in restricted quantities. The calves were slaughtered without being fasted, 6 to 9 weeks after weaning, and detailed measurements were made of the weights and volumes of the sections of the alimentary tract and its contents, and of other abdominal organs.2. Grinding and pelleting the diet reduced mean retention time by approximately 50% and digestibility by 6 to 8 units, and increased dry-matter intake in the two experiments by 55 or 32% respectively, and growth rate by 53 and 69% respectively.3. The ground and pelleted diets resulted in a smaller quantity of fluid digesta in the rumen, and a much greater quantity in the abomasum and small intestine.4. There were smaller differences between diets in the quantity of digesta in the combined caecum and colon, or in the total volume of the organs of the abdomen, than in the amount of digesta in the rumen. It is suggested that further critical studies are required upon the importance of the contents of the alimentary tract, or of the abdomen as a whole, in the control of voluntary food intake in ruminants.

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