Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T09:03:23.709Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

In situ rumen degradation of dry matter and crude protein in ewes and dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

L. B. J. Šebek  and
H. Evererts
L. B. J. Šebek
Affiliation:
Institute for science and Health (ID-DLO), PO Box 65, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands
H. Evererts*
Affiliation:
Institute for science and Health (ID-DLO), PO Box 65, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands
*
†Present address: Department of Large Animal Medicine and Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Utrecht, PO Box 80152, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Get access

Abstract

Comparative studies were performed on the in-situ rumen degradation rate (kd) and the in-situ rumen undegradable residue (U) of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) in sheep and dairy cows. The effect of different treatmentsfor sheep were investigated together with the validity of using cow-based reference protein values of foods for sheep. The effect of different breeds (Texel ewes and crossbred ewes), dietary roughage: concentrate ratio and shearing (mild cold exposure) were investigated for sheep.

The in-situ rumen incubations were performed in accordance with standard operational procedures which were comparable for both species. The foods under consideration were hay and concentrates. Cows displayed lower (DM 0·53 , CP 0·86) Kds than sheep for concentrates.

For hay a clear trend between cows and sheep was not observed but cows displayed 0·40 lower Kds than Texel ewes and 0·30 higher Kds than crossbred ewes. For concentrates U levels did not differ between species but for hay cows had 0·45 higher U values than Texel ewes. Texel ewes showed 0·45 higher Kd and 0·35 lower U for DM and CP than crossbred ewes. Dietary roughage: concentrate ratio in sheep diets did not influence the Kds and Us of the foods under consideration. Shearing of crossbred ewes increased Kd of CP by 0·25 and reduced U for DM and CP by 0·20 and 0.24 .

In conclusion different in situ rumen degradation rates were found between dairy cows and sheep. This probably makes using reference protein values of foods invalid for sheep since they are based on data for cows. Differences (Kd andU) were also found between sheep breeds and between unshorn and shorn crossbred ewes (mild cold exposure). No effect on rumen degradation kinetics could be attributed to dietary roughage: concentrate ratio.

Keywords

crud proteindairy cowsdry matterewesrumen digestion
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 68 , Issue 4 , June 1999 , pp. 801 - 808
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1999

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

Archimède, H., Sauvant, D., Hervieu, J., Ternois, F. and Poncet, C. 1996. Effects of the nature of roughage and concentrate and their proportion on ruminai characteristics of non lactating goats; consequences on digestive interactions. Animal Feed Science and Technology 58: 267–282.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1984.Official methods of analysis. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington Google Scholar
Cronjé, P.B. 1992. Effects of dietaryroughage: concentrate ratio and rumen ammonia concentration on in situ feedstuff degradation in the rumen of sheep. South African Journal of Animal Science 22: 207–213.Google Scholar
De Waal, H.O. 1995. In sacco dry matter disappearance of herbage and maize meal from the rumen of lactating Dorper and Merino ewes supplemented with protein and energy on native pastures. South African Journal of Animal Science 25:1–6.Google Scholar
Ehle, F.R., Murphy, M. R. and Clark, J. H. 1982. In situ particle size reduction and the effect of particle size on degradation of crude protein and dry matter in the rumen of dairy steers. Journal of Dairy Science 65: 963–971.Google Scholar
Everts, H. 1992. Eiwitbehoefte van schapen en geiten. CVB-documentatie rapport nr. 4. Centraal Veevoederbureau, Lelystad.Google Scholar
Figroid, W., Hale, W. H. and Theurer, B. 1972. An evaluation of the nylon bag technique for estimating rumen utilization of grains. Journal of Animal Science 35: 113–120.Google Scholar
Ganev, G., Ørskov, E.R. and Smart, R. 1979. The effect of roughage or concentrate feeding and rumen retentiontime on total degradation of protein in the rumen. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 93: 651–656.Google Scholar
Hindle, V. A., Steg, A., Vuuren, A. M. van and Vroons-de Bruin, J. 1995. Rumen degradation and post-ruminal digestion of palm kernel by-products in dairy cows. Animal Feed Science and Technology 51: 103–121.Google Scholar
Huntington, J. A. and Givens, D. I. 1995. The in situ technique for studying the rumen degradation of feeds: areview of the procedure. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews, Series В 65: 63–82.Google Scholar
Kennedy, P. M., Christopherson, R. J. and Milligan, L. P. 1976. The effect of cold exposure of sheep on digestion, rumen turnover time and efficiency of microbial synthesis. British Journal of Nutrition 36: 231–242.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kennedy, P. M., Christopherson, R. J. and Milligan, L. P. 1982. Effects of cold exposure on feed protein degradation, microbial protein synthesis and transfer of plasma urea to the rumen of sheep. British Journal of Nutrition 47: 521–535.Google Scholar
Kennedy, P. M., Young, B. A. and Christopherson, R. J. 1977. Studies on the relationship between thyroid function, cold acclimation and retention time of digesta in sheep. Journal of Animal Science 45: 1084–1090.Google Scholar
Lindberg, J. E. 1981. The effect of basal diet on the ruminai degradation of dry matter, nitrogenous compounds and cell wallsin nylon bags. Swedish Journal of Agricultural Research 11: 159–169.Google Scholar
Lindberg, J.E. 1985. Estimation of rumen degradability of feed proteins with the sacco technique and various vitro methods: a review. Acta Agrarica Scandinavia, Supplement 25: 64–97.Google Scholar
Madsen, J. 1985. The basis of the proposed Nordic protein evaluation system for ruminants. The AAT-PBV system. Acta Agrarica Scandinavia, Supplement 25: 9–25.Google Scholar
Mehrez, A. Z. and Ørskov, B., Chapoutot, P., Peyraud, J.L. and Poncet, C. 1987. Révision du système des protéines digestibles dans ľintestine (P.D.L). Bulletin Technique du C.R.Z.V. de Theix, INRA 70: 19–34.Google Scholar
Weakly, D.C. Stern, M. D. and Satter, L. D. 1983. Factors affecting disappearance of feedstuffs from bags suspended in the rumen. Journal of Animal Science 56: 493–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weston, R. H. 1983. The effect of mild cold exposure on various aspects of digestion and metabolism in roughage-fed sheep. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia 8: 181–184.Google Scholar
Westra, R. and Christopherson, R. J. 1976. Effects of cold on digestion, retention time of digesta, reticulum motility and thyroid hormones in sheep. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 56: 699–708.Google Scholar
Zhao, J. Y., Shimojo, M. and Goto, I. 1993. The effects of feeding level and roughage/concentrate ratio on the measurement of protein degradability of two tropical forages in the rumen of goats, using the nylon bag technique. Animal Feed Science and Technology 41: 261–269.Google Scholar