Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T15:20:55.909Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cattle and sheep develop preference for drinking water containing grape seed tannin*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 July 2013

S. L. Kronberg  and
C. S. Schauer
S. L. Kronberg*
Affiliation:
United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, PO Box 459, Mandan, North Dakota 58554, USA
C. S. Schauer
Affiliation:
Hettinger Research Extension Center, North Dakota State University, Hettinger, North Dakota 58639, USA
*
†E-mail: scott.kronberg@ars.usda.gov
Get access

Abstract

Ingestion of small amounts of some types of condensed tannins (CTs) by ruminant livestock can provide nutritional, environmental and economic benefits. However, practical methods are needed to make these tannins more available to ruminant livestock. Results from previous trials with crude quebracho and black wattle tannin indicated that cattle and/or sheep would not preferentially drink water containing these tannins. Therefore, we conducted preference trials to determine if cattle and sheep would learn to prefer water containing purified grape seed tannin (GST) that provided up to 2% of their daily dry matter (DM) intake. After gradual exposure to increasing amounts of this tannin in water during a pre-trial period, five adult ewes and five yearling heifers fed lucerne (Medicago sativa) pellets (19% CP) were offered water and several concentrations of GST solutions for either 15 (sheep trial) or 20 days (cattle trial). We measured intake of all liquids daily. Concentrations of blood urea were also measured for heifers when they drank only tannin solutions or water. Both sheep and cattle developed preferences for water with GST in it over water alone (P < 0.01) although this preference appeared earlier in the trial for sheep than for cattle. For the sheep, mean daily intake of water alone and all tannin solutions (in total) was 0.6 and 6.1 l, respectively. For the cattle, mean daily intake of water and all tannin solutions in total was 21.8 and 20.6 l, respectively, in the first half of the trial and 10.8 and 26.1 l, respectively, in the second half of the trial. Compared with the other tannin solutions, both sheep and cattle drank more of the solution with the highest tannin concentration (2% of daily DM intake as GST) than of water on more trial days (P < 0.05). Ingestion of water with the highest concentration of GST reduced blood plasma urea concentration in the cattle by 9% to 14% (P ⩽ 0.10) compared with ingestion of water alone. Results from the trials suggest that providing grape seed and perhaps other CTs via drinking water may be a practical way to introduce CTs into sheep and cattle diets.

Keywords

condensed tanninnitrogenpalatabilitypollutionruminantsurea
Type
Behaviour, welfare and health
Information
animal , Volume 7 , Issue 10 , October 2013 , pp. 1714 - 1720
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium. This is a work of the U.S. Government and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. 2013 

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.)

Footnotes

*

Mention of a proprietary product does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the United States Department of Agriculture or the author and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of another product that may also be suitable. The United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All agency services are available with discrimination.

References

Burritt, EA, Provenza, FD 1992. Lambs form preferences for non-nutritive flavors paired with glucose. Journal of Animal Science 70, 1133–1136.Google Scholar
Chaney, AL, Marbach, EP 1962. Modified reagents for determination of urea and ammonia. Clinical Chemistry 8, 130–132.Google Scholar
Dentener, FJ, Crutzen, PJ 1994. A three-dimensional model of the global ammonia cycle. Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry 19, 331–369.Google Scholar
Fawcett, JK, Scott, JE 1960. A rapid and precise method for the determination of urea. Journal of Clinical Pathology 13, 156–159.Google Scholar
Fernández, HT, Catanese, F, Puthod, G, Distel, RA, Villalba, JJ 2012. Depression of rumen ammonia and blood urea by quebracho tannin-containing supplements fed after high-nitrogen diets with no evidence of self-regulation of tannin intake by sheep. Small Ruminant Research 105, 126–134.Google Scholar
Grainger, C, Clarke, T, Auldist, MJ, Beauchemin, KA, McGinn, SM, Waghorn, GC, and Eckard, RJ 2009. Potential use of Acacia mearnsii condensed tannins to reduce methane emissions and nitrogen excretion from grazing dairy cows. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 89, 241–251.Google Scholar
Hervás, G, Pérez, V, Giráldez, FJ, Mantecón, AR, Almar, MM, and Frutos, P 2003. Intoxication of sheep with quebracho tannin extract. Journal of Comparative Pathology 129, 44–54.Google Scholar
Kirby, KS, White, T 1955. Minor constituents of quebracho tannin extract. Biochemical Journal 60, 582–590.Google Scholar
Komolong, MK, Barber, DG, and McNeill, DM 2001. Post-ruminal protein supply and N retention of weaner sheep fed on a basal diet of Lucerne hay (Medicago sativa) with increasing levels of quebracho tannins. Animal Feed Science and Technology 92, 59–72.Google Scholar
Kronberg, SL 2008. Intake of water containing condensed tannin by cattle and sheep. Rangeland Ecology and Management 61, 354–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kronberg, SL 2010. Sheep ingestion of water containing quebracho or black wattle tannin. Rangeland Ecology and Management 63, 258–262.Google Scholar
Kronberg, SL, Liebig, MA 2011. Condensed tannin in drinking water reduces greenhouse gas precursor urea in sheep and cattle urine. Rangeland Ecology and Management 64, 543–547.Google Scholar
Kyriazakis, I, Oldham, JD 1993. Diet selection in sheep: the ability of growing lambs to select a diet that meets their crude protein (nitrogen × 6.25) requirements. British Journal of Nutrition 69, 617–629.Google Scholar
Kyriazakis, I, Oldham, JD 1997. Food intake and diet selection in sheep: the effect of manipulating the rates of digestion of carbohydrates and protein of the foods offered as a choice. British Journal of Nutrition 77, 243–254.Google Scholar
Launchbaugh, KL, Provenza, FD, Werkmeister, MJ 1997. Overcoming food neophobia in domestic ruminants through addition of a familiar flavor and repeated exposure to novel food. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 54, 327–334.Google Scholar
Lisonbee, LD, Villalba, JJ, Provenza, FD, Hall, JO 2009. Tannins and self-medication: implications for sustainable parasite control in herbivores. Behavioural Processes 82, 184–189.Google Scholar
Min, BR, Pinchak, WE, Fulford, JD, Puchala, R 2005. Wheat pasture bloat dynamics, in vitro ruminal gas production, and potential mitigation with condensed tannins. Journal of Animal Science 83, 1322–1331.Google Scholar
Mueller-Harvey, I 2006. Unravelling the conundrum of tannins in animal nutrition and health. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 86, 2010–2037.Google Scholar
Phy, TS, Provenza, FD 1998. Sheep fed grain prefer foods and solutions that attenuate acidosis. Journal of Animal Science 76, 954–960.Google Scholar
Powell, JM, Aguerre, MJ, Wattiaux, MA 2011. Dietary crude protein and tannin impact dairy manure chemistry and ammonia emissions from incubated soils. Journal of Environmental Quality 40, 1767–1774.Google Scholar
Provenza, FD 1995. Postingestive feedback as an elementary determinant of food preference and intake in ruminants. Journal of Range Management 48, 2–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Provenza, FD, Villalba, JJ, Dziba, LE, Atwood, SB, Banner, RE 2003. Linking herbivore experience, varied diets, and plant biochemical diversity. Small Ruminant Research 49, 257–274.Google Scholar
Reynolds, CK, Kristensen, NB 2008. Nitrogen recycling through the gut and the nitrogen economy of ruminants: an asynchronous symbiosis. Journal of Animal Science 86 (suppl.), E293–E305.Google Scholar
SAS 1996. SAS systems for mixed models. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA.Google Scholar
Villalba, JJ, Provenza, FD 1997. Preference for flavored foods by lambs conditioned with intraruminal administration of nitrogen. British Journal of Nutrition 78, 545–561.Google Scholar
Villalba, JJ, Provenza, FD 1999. Nutrient specific preferences by lambs conditioned with intraruminal infusions of starch, casein, and water. Journal of Animal Science 77, 378–387.Google Scholar
Villalba, JJ, Provenza, FD 2007. Self-medication and homeostatic behaviour in herbivores: learning about the benefits of nature's pharmacy. Animal 1, 1360–1370.Google Scholar
Villalba, JJ, Provenza, FD, Banner, RE 2002. Influence of macronutrients and polyethylene glycol on intake of a quebracho tannin diet by sheep and goats. Journal of Animal Science 80, 3154–3164.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Villalba, JJ, Provenza, FD, Hall, JO, Lisonbee, LD 2010. Selection of tannins by sheep in response to gastrointestinal nematode infection. Journal of Animal Science 88, 2089–2198.Google Scholar
Villalba, JJ, Provenza, FD, Shaw, R 2006. Sheep self-medicate when challenged with illness-inducing foods. Animal Behaviour 71, 1131–1139.Google Scholar
Waghorn, G 2008. Beneficial and detrimental effects of dietary condensed tannins for sustainable sheep and goat production – progress and challenges. Animal Feed Science and Technology 147, 116–139.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waghorn, GC, John, A, Jones, WT, Shelton, ID 1987a. Nutritive value of Lotus corniculatus L. containing low and medium concentrations of condensed tannins for sheep. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 47, 25–30.Google Scholar
Waghorn, GC, Ulyatt, MJ, John, A, Fisher, MT 1987b. The effect of condensed tannins on the site of digestion of amino acids and other nutrients in sheep fed Lotus corniculatus L. British Journal of Nutrition 57, 115–126.Google Scholar
Wang, Y, Waghorn, GC, McNabb, WC, Barry, TN, Hedley, MJ, Shelton, ID 1996. Effect of condensed tannins in Lotus corniculatus upon the digestion of methionine and cysteine in the small intestine of sheep. The Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 127, 413–421.Google Scholar
Zanton, GI, Heinrichs, AJ 2009. Digestion and nitrogen utilization in dairy heifers limit-fed a low or high forage ration at four levels of nitrogen intake. Journal of Dairy Science 92, 2078–2094.Google Scholar