Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T20:19:13.244Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A comparison of the effects on voluntary intake by sheep of dietary addition of either silage juices or lactic acid solutions of the same neutralizing value

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

N. W. Offer
N. W. Offer
Affiliation:
Grassland and Ruminant Science Department, Scottish Agricutural College, Auchincruive, Ayr KA6 5HW
Get access

Abstract

Juice was extracted from a ryegrass silage after fermentation times of 0, 51 or 291 h. Three solutions of D/L lactic acid were prepared to have the same neutralizing values (NV) as the silage juices. Experiment A measured the mtakes by sheep of dried silage residues remaining after juice extraction. Experiment B measured the effect of adding each of the juices and lactic acid solutions (1·5 l/kg) on intake of unmolassed sugar-beet nuts. Intakes were measured daily and also over 3 h following an overnight fast.

Fermentation time had no effect on the composition or intake of the residues (P < 0·05). Increasing fermentation time from 0 to 51 to 291 h reduced silage juice pH (5·07, 4·96 and 4·10), increased lactic acid (gfl 6·2, 7·1, 18·7), NV (meq/l 29, 40, 157) and osmolality (mosmol/l 1000, 1010, 1390). Corresponding values for the lactic acid solutions were 2·82, 2·74, 2·41 (pH), 3·1, 4·3,18·3 (lactic), 26, 38,154 (NV) and 32, 42,176 (osmolality).

Total daily DM intake (g/kg live weight1·473) was unaffected by NV but was significantly higher overall (P < 0·05) for the silage juices (7·49) than for the lactic acid solutions (6·64) although this difference was mostly due to the extra dry matter (DM) contained in the added silage juice. Short-term DM intake (g per 3 h per kg live weight1·473) decreased with increasing NV, being significantly lower (P < 0·05) for the highest NV than for the others (3·58, 3·34 and 3·11) but lactic acid and silage juice gave similar responses (P > 0·05). Effects on short-term intake were influenced mainly by NV and suggested effects on immediate feedback mechanisms or palatability.

Keywords

food intakegrass silageneutralizing valueosmotic pressuresheep
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 64 , Issue 2 , April 1997 , pp. 331 - 337
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander, R. H. and McGowan, M. 1966. The routine determination of in vitro digestibility of organic matter in forages. Journal of the British Grassland Society 21: 140–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buchanan-Smith, J. G. 1990. An investigation into palatability as a factor responsible for reduced intake of silage by sheep. Animal Science 50: 253–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cushnahan, A. and Gordon, F. J. 1995. The effects of grass preservation on intake, apparent digestibility and rumen degradation characteristics. Animal Science 60: 429–438.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gordon, F. J. 1989. An evaluation through lactating cattle of a bacterial inoculant as an additive for grass silage. Grass and Forage Science 44: 169–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust. 1987. Genstat 5 reference manual. Clarendon Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Lewis, M. 1981. Equations for predicting silage intake by beef and dairy cattle. Proceedings of the sixth silage conference, Edinburgh, pp. 35–36.Google Scholar
McLeod, D. S., Wilkins, R. J. and Raymond, R. F. 1970. The voluntary intake by sheep and cattle of silages differing in free-acid content. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 75: 311–319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mbanya, J. M., Anil, M. H. and Forbes, J. M. 1993. The voluntary intake of hay and silage by lactating cows in response to ruminal infusion of acetate or propionate or both with or without distension of the rumen by balloon. British journal of Nutrition 69: 713–720.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Offer, N. W., Dewhurst, R. J. and Thomas, C. 1994. The use of electrometric titration to improve the routine prediction of silage intake by lambs and dairy cows. Animal Production 58: 427 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Offer, N. W., Rooke, J. A., Dewhurst, R. J. and Thomas, C. 1993. Rapid assessment of silage fermentation characteristics by electrometric titration. Animal Production 56: 423 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Percival, D. S., Offer, N. W. and Thomas, C. 1996. The use of near infra-red reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to predict voluntary intake of grass silage by lambs and dairy cows. Animal Science 62: 680–681 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Phillip, L. E., Buchanan-Smith, J. G. and Grovum, W. L. 1981a. Effects of infusing the rumen with acetic acid and nitrogenous constituents in maize silage extracts on food intake, ruminal osmolality and blood acid-base balance in sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 96: 429–438.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Phillip, L. E., Buchanan-Smith, J. G. and Grovum, W. L. 1981b. Food intake and rumen osmolarity in sheep: differentiation of the effect of osmolality from that of the products of maize fermentation. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 96: 439–445.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rooke, J. A. 1995. The effect of increasing the acidity or osmolality of grass silage by the addition of free or partially neutralized lactic acid on silage intake by sheep and upon osmolality and acid-base balance. Animal Science 61: 285–292.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rooke, J. A., Borman, A. J. and Armstrong, D. G. 1990. The effect of inoculation with Lactobacillus plantarum fermentation in laboratory silos of herbage low in water soluble carbohydrate. Grass and Forage Science 45: 143–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rook, A. J. and Gill, M. 1990. Prediction of the voluntary intake of grass silages by beef cattle. 1. Linear regression analyses. Animal Production 50: 425–438.Google Scholar
Rooke, J. A. and Offer, N. W. 1994. The effect of feeding juice extracted from ensiled grass after varying times of fermentation on the voluntary intake of chopped hay by sheep. Animal Production 58: 427 (abstr.).Google Scholar
Steen, R. J. W., Gordon, F. J., Mayne, C. S., Foots, R. E., Kilpatrick, D. J., Unsworth, E. F., Barnes, R. J., Porter, M. G. and Pippard, C. J. 1995. Prediction of the intake of grass silage by cattle. In Recent advances in animal nutrition ed. Garnsworthy, P. C. and Cole, D. J. A.), pp. 67–89. Nottingham University Press.Google Scholar
Thomas, C. and Thomas, P. C. 1985. Factors affecting the nutritive value of grass silages. In Recent developments ruminant nutrition — 2 (ed. Haresign, W. and Cole, D. J. A.), pp. 274–307. Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
Thomas, C. and Wilkinson, J. M. 1975. The utilisation of maize silage for intensive beef production. 3. Nitrogen and acidity as factors affecting the nutritive value of ensiled maize. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 85: 255–261.CrossRefGoogle Scholar