Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T02:23:25.127Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

A note on the effect of plane of nutrition on fractional outflow rates from the rumen and urinary allantoin excretion by wether sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

R. J. Dewhurst
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Husbandry, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS18 7DU
A. J. F. Webster
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Husbandry, University of Bristol, Langford House, Langford, Bristol BS18 7DU
Get access

Abstract

During a series of routine experiments to evaluate 16 foods offered to wether sheep, conventional measurements of digestibility were augmented by measurement of fractional outflow rates (FOR) of solids (ks) and liquid (k1) from the rumen and urinary allantoin nitrogen excretion (UAN) as an index of microbial yield. Fixed (1 kg) amounts of ‘dry’ foods were offered to sheep ranging in weight from 42 to 89 kg which permitted a retrospective analysis of plane of nutrition effects on diet digestibility, ks, k1 and UAN. Each diet was simultaneously offered to three sheep (one each of large, medium and small size). Smaller sheep had significantly higher FOR, significantly lower apparent digestibilities of dry matter and significantly higher UAN (g/kg digestible organic matter (DOM)). Higher UAN (g/kg DOM) indicated higher microbial energetic efficiencies with the smaller sheep.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1992

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

Agricultural Research Council. 1980. Nutrient requirements of ruminant livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Agricultural Research Council. 1984. Nutrient requirements of ruminant livestock. Suppl. 1. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Chen, X. B., Hovell, F. D. DeB., Ørskov, E. R. and Brown, D. S. 1990. Excretion of purine derivatives by ruminants: effect of exogenous nucleic acid supply on purine derivative excretion by sheep. British Journal of Nutrition 63: 131142.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dewhurst, R. J. 1989. Studies on energy and nitroge n metabolism in th e rumen: investigation of less invasive techniques for these studies. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Bristol.Google Scholar
Dewhurst, R. J. and Webster, A. J. F. 1992. Effects of diet, level of intake, sodium bicarbonate and monensin on urinary allantoin excretion in sheep. British Journal of Nutrition In press.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Evans, E. 1981a. An evaluation of the relationships between dietary parameters and rumen liquid turnover rate. Canadian Journal of Animal Science. 61: 9196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, E. 1981b. An evaluation of the relationships between dietary parameter s and rumen solid turnover rate. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 61: 97103.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: 231242.Google Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust. 1987. GENSTAT V, mark 4.01. Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden.Google Scholar
Sutton, J. D., Knight, R., McAllan, A. B. and Smith, R. H. 1983. Digestion and synthesis in the rumen of sheep given diets supplemented with free and protected oils. British Journal of Nutrition 49: 419432.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Topps, J. H. and Elliott, R. C. 1965. Relationship between concentrations of ruminal nucleic acids and excretion of purine derivatives by sheep. Nature, London 205: 498499.Google Scholar
Uden, P., Colucci, P. E. and Van Soest, P. J. 1980. Investigation of chromium, cerium and cobalt as markers in digesta. Rate of passage studies. Journal of the Science of and Agriculture 31: 625632.Google Scholar
Webster, A. J. F., Dewhurst, R. J. and Waters, C. J. 1988. Alternative approaches to the characterization of feedstuffs for ruminants. In Recent advances in animal nutrition — 1988 (ed. Haresign, W. and Cole, D. J. A.), pp. 167191. Butterworths, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar