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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 November 2017
Utilization of cereal straws by ruminants is limited by low digestibility and intake. One solution is to supplement with rapidly fermentable carbohydrates (RFC), usually as starchy cereal grains. In restricted feeding experiments with roughages supplemented with RFC in the form of cereal grain concentrates, a slight increase in ruminal microbial protein (MP) synthetic efficiency has been observed with low, but a decline in efficiency at higher levels of supplementation (eg. Chen et al. 1992b). Huque (1991) noted that supplementation with low levels of starch improved straw intake and rumen digesta outflow rate. We have observed increased digesta flow rates to be associated with greater MP synthesis and yield per unit of digestible organic matter (DOM) (Chen et al. 1992a).