Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T18:38:42.117Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nutrition of draught oxen in semi-arid west Africa. 2. Effect of work on intake, apparent digestibility and rate of passage of food through the gastro-intestinal tract in draught oxen given crop residues

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

A. Fall ,
R. A. Pearson ,
P. R. Lawrence  and
S. Fernández-Rivera
A. Fall
Affiliation:
Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG
R. A. Pearson
Affiliation:
Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG
P. R. Lawrence
Affiliation:
International Livestock Research Institute, International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Sahelian Centre, BP 12404, Niamey, Niger
S. Fernández-Rivera
Affiliation:
International Livestock Research Institute, International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Sahelian Centre, BP 12404, Niamey, Niger
Get access

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the relationships between work and intake and digestion of food by draught oxen given millet stover. In the first experiment, intake of millet stover, water intake, live weight, plasma concentrations of triiodothyronine, thyroxine and urea-nitrogen were measured in 18 animals that worked 0, 2 or 4 h/day in sequence during three 3-week experimental periods. Digestibility and rate of passage of food residues through the digestive tract were measured in a second experiment on 12 animals working either 0, 2-5 or 5 h/day in sequence during three 2-week experimental periods. Feeding behaviour was monitored on six animals working either 0, 2-5 or 5 h/day. Work did not affect intake of millet stover, apparent digestibilities and the rate of passage of digesta through the gastro-intestinal tract. This suggests that the nutrient supply from intake of roughages by ivorking oxen is unlikely to be sufficient to compensate for the extra energy expended during work. Food intake was affected by the quality of the millet stover offered. The level of intake of millet stover ivas proportional to the amount of leaves in the stover. Food intake increased also as work progressed. However, animals mobilized their body reserves to perform work. Animals consumed more water on working days than on days they were at-rest in shade. The heat stress that working animals were subjected to did not appear to interfere with their digestive function.

Keywords

digestibilitydraught animalsfood intakemillet stoverwork
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 64 , Issue 2 , April 1997 , pp. 217 - 225
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

Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1990. Official methods of analysis, 15th ed.Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington, Virginia.Google Scholar
Bakrie, B. and Teleni, E. 1991. The effect of time of feeding in relation to work on draught animals. I. The effect of feeding high fibre diet either before or after work on feed utilisation and physiology of working buffaloes. Draught Animal Bulletin 1: 39–45.Google Scholar
Bakrie, M., Murray, R. M. and Hogan, J. P. 1988. The effect of work on intake and ruminal fluid, volatile fatty acid and NH3 concentration of steers fed Rhodes grass hay. DAP Project Bulletin 8: 23–26.Google Scholar
Bamualim, A. and Ffoulkes, D. 1988. Effect of work and level of feeding intake on nutritional parameters and bodyweight change of swamp buffalo cows. DAP Project Bulletin 7: 2–7.Google Scholar
Christopherson, R. J. and Kennedy, P. M. 1983. Effect of the thermal environment on digestion in ruminants. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 63: 477–496.Google Scholar
Collier, R. J. and Beede, D. K. 1985. Thermal stress as a factor associated with nutrient requirements and interrelationships. In Nutrition of grazing ruminants in warm climates (ed. McDowell, L. R.), pp. 59–71. Academic Press, London.Google Scholar
El-Nouty, F. D. and Hassan, G. A. 1983. Thyroid hormone status and water metabolism in Hereford cows exposed to high ambient temperature and water deprivation. Indian Journal of Animal Science 53: 807–812.Google Scholar
Faverdin, P., Baumont, R. and Ingvartsen, K. L. 1995. Control and prediction of feed intake in ruminants. In Recent deivlopments in the nutrition of herbivores (ed. Journet, M., Grenet, E., Farce, M.-H., Theriez, M. and Demarquilly, C.). Proceedings of the fourth international symposium on the nutrition of herbivores, pp. 95–120. INRA Editions, Paris.Google Scholar
Forbes, J. M. 1995. Voluntary food intake and diet selection farm animals. CAB International, Wallingford.Google Scholar
Grovum, W. L. and Williams, V. J. 1973. Rate of passage of digesta in sheep. 4. Passage of marker through the alimentary tract and the biological relevance of rate-constants derived from the changes in concentration of marker in faeces. British Journal of Nutrition 30: 313–329.Google Scholar
Lawrence, P. R. and Pearson, R. A. 1985. Factors affecting the measurement of draught force, work output and power of oxen. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 105: 703–714.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mathers, J. C., Baber, R. P. and Archibald, R. F. 1989. Intake, digestion and gastro-intestinal mean retention time in Asiatic buffaloes and Ayrshire cattle given two contrasting diets and housed at 20 and 33°C. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 113: 211–222.Google Scholar
Matthewman, R. W. and Dijkman, J. T. 1993. The nutrition of ruminant draught animals. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 121: 297–306.Google Scholar
Pearson, R. A. and Archibald, R. F. 1990. Effect of ambient temperature and urea supplementation on the intake and digestion of alkali-treated straw by Brahman cattle and Swamp buffaloes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 114:177–186.Google Scholar
Pearson, R. A. and Dijkman, J. T. 1994. Nutritional implications of work in draught animals. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 53:169–179.Google Scholar
Pearson, R. A. and Lawrence, P. R. 1992. Intake, digestion, gastrointestinal transit time and nitrogen balance in working oxen: studies in Costa Rica and Nepal. Animal Production 55: 361–370.Google Scholar
Pearson, R. A. and Smith, D. G. 1994. The effects of work on food intake and ingestive behaviour of draught cattle and buffalo given barley straw. Animal Production 58: 339–346.Google Scholar
Preston, T. R. and Leng, R. A. 1987. Matching ruminant production systems with available resources in the tropics and sub-tropics. Penambul Books, Armidale, Australia.Google Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1985. SAS user's guide: statistics. Statistical Analysis Systems Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Weston, R. H. 1985. Some considerations of voluntary feed consumption and digestion in relation to work. In Draught animal power for production (ed. Copland, J. W.). Proceedings of an international workshop, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia, 10-16 July 1985. ACIAR proceeding series no. 10, pp. 78–83. ACIAR, Canberra.Google Scholar
Zerbini, E., Gemeda, T., Wold, A. G., Nokoe, S. and Demissie, D. 1995. Effect of draught work on performance and metabolism of crossbred cows. 2. Effect of work on roughage intake, digestion, digesta kinetics and plasma metabolites. Animal Science 60: 369–378.Google Scholar