Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-lj6df Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T01:31:56.508Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The influence of density and size of particles on rumination and passage from the reticulo-rumen of sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

M. Kaske ,
S. Hatiboglu  and
W. V. ENGELHARDT
M. Kaske
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-3000 Hannover 1, Germany
S. Hatiboglu
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-3000 Hannover 1, Germany
W. V. ENGELHARDT
Affiliation:
Department of Physiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-3000 Hannover 1, Germany
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Plastic particles with different densities (0.92, 1.03, 1.22 and 1.44 g/ml) and sizes (1, 10 and 20 mm) were introduced into the rumen of fistulated sheep kept on a roughage diet. The forestomach was emptied 12 and 24 h after the introduction of the particles, and the contents were replaced by the same amount of rumen contents without plastic particles. The proportions of particles which left the reticulo-rumen (RR) during the experimental period were determined by collecting the faeces during the following 5 d. Non-ruminated particles were separated from the dried RR contents and from the faeces. Large particles were ruminated independently of particle size and density within the investigated range. After 12 and 24 h, 59 and 81% respectively of the particles initially introduced were comminuted due to rumination. During the 12 h period about four times as many particles with a density of 1.44 g/ml passed from the RR into the omasum compared with particles with a density of 0.92 or 1.03 g/ml. Three to ten times more 1 mm particles were excreted than originally-large particles (10 and 20 mm). Particles introduced with an original size of 10 or 20 mm were recovered mostly comminuted in the faeces. In a further experiment the rumens of eight sheep were emptied and filled with a buffer solution. Plastic particles (10 g) of each length (1, 5, 10 and 20 mm; all with a density of 1.03 g/ml) were introduced into the ventral rumen. Sedimentation of particles was prevented by gassing the solution in the RR. Of the initially introduced particles, 31.9, 25.4, 12.7 and 1.5% of the 1, 5, 10 and 20 mm long particles respectively left the RR within 4 h. It is concluded that rumination of particles is independent of particle density and size within the tested range. The probability of particles leaving the RR increases with the higher particle density and with the smaller size. If particle sedimentation is prevented in the RR even 10 mm long particles can leave the RR in considerable amounts.

Particle size: Particle density: Passage: Rumination: Sheep

Keywords

Particle sizeParticle densityPassageRuminationSheep
Type
Metabolism Effects of Diet
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 67 , Issue 2 , March 1992 , pp. 235 - 244
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1992

References

REFERENCES

Balch, C. C. & Campling, R. C. (1962) Regulation of voluntary food intake in ruminants. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews 32, 669–685.Google ScholarPubMed
Bueno, L. & Ruckebusch, Y. (1974) The cyclic motility of the omasum and its control in sheep. Journal of Physiology 238, 295–312.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Campling, R. C. & Freer, M. (1962) The effect of specific gravity and size on the mean retention time of inert particles in the alimentary tract of the cow. British Journal of Nutrition 16, 507–518.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
desBordes, C. K. & Welch, J. G. (1984) Influence of specific gravity on rumination and passage of indigestible particles. Journal of Animal Science 59, 470–475.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Durkwa, L. (1983) Length and specific gravity of particles passed from the rumen and changes in ingesta specific gravity. PhD Thesis, University of Vermont, Burlington.Google Scholar
Ehle, F. R. (1984) Influence of feed particle density on particulate passage from rumen of Holstein cow. Journal of Dairy Science 67, 693–697.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehle, F. R. & Stern, M. D. (1986) Influence of particle size and density on particulate passage through alimentary tract of Holstein heifers. Journal of Dairy Science 69, 564–568.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ehrlein, H. & Hill, H. (1969) Motorik und Nahrungstransport des Psalters (Omasum) der Ziege. (Omasal motility and digesta transport in the goat.) Zentralblatt für Veterinärmedizin A 16, 573–596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Evans, E. W., Pearce, G. R., Burnett, J. & Pillinger, S. L. (1973) Changes in some physical characteristics of the digesta in the reticulorumen of cows fed once daily. British Journal of Nutrition 29, 357–376.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faichney, G. J. (1986) The kinetics of particulate matter in the rumen. In Control of Digestion and Metabolism in Ruminants, pp. 173–195 [Milligan, L.P., Grovum, W. L. and Dobson, A., editors]. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Hidari, H. (1984) Effect of altering the rumen load on the feeding behaviour in sheep. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 64, Suppl., 320–321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hooper, A. P. & Welch, J. G. (1985) Effects of particle size and forage composition on functional specific gravity. Journal of Dairy Science 68, 1181–1188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaske, M. (1987) Die Retention von Partikeln unterschiedlicher Dichte und Gröβe im Retikulorumen von Schafen. (Retention of particles of different density and size in the reticulo-rumen of sheep.) Inaugural-Dissertation, University of Hannover.Google Scholar
Kaske, M. & Engelhardt, W. V. (1990) The effect of size and density on mean retention time of particles in the gastrointestinal tract of sheep. British Journal of Nutrition 63, 457–465.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katoh, K., Sato, F., Yamazaki, A., Sasaki, Y. & Tsuda, T. (1988) Passage of indigestible particles of various specific gravities in sheep and goats. British Journal of Nutrition 60, 683–687.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kennedy, P. M. & Poppi, D. P. (1984) ‘Critical particle size’ in sheep and cattle. In Techniques in Particle Size Analysis of Feed and Digesta in Ruminants, Canadian Society of Animal Science, Occasional Publication no. 1, p. 170 [Kennedy, P. M., editor]. Edmonton, Canada: Canadian Society of Animal Science.Google Scholar
Lindberg, J. E. (1985) Retention time of chromium-labelled feed particles and of water in the gut of sheep given hay and concentrate at maintenance. British Journal of Nutrition 53, 559–567.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McBride, B. W., Milligan, L. P. & Turner, B. V. (1983) Short note: endoscopic observation of the reticulo-omasal orifice of cattle. Journal of Agricultural Science 101, 749–750.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murphy, M. R., Kennedy, P. M. & Welch, J. G. (1989) Passage and rumination of inert particles varying in size and specific gravity as determined from analysis of faecal appearance using multicompartment models. British Journal of Nutrition 62, 481–492.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nehring, K. (1960) Agrikulturchemische Untersuchungsmethoden (Agricultural-chemical examination methods.) 3rd ed. Hamburg and Berlin: P. Parey.Google Scholar
Nocek, J. E. & Kohn, R. A. (1987) Initial particle form and size on change in functional specific gravity of alfalfa and timothy hay. Journal of Dairy Science 70, 1850–1863.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poppi, D. P., Norton, B. W., Minson, D. J. & Hendricksen, R. E. (1980) The validity of the critical size theory for particles leaving the rumen. Journal of Agricultural Science 94, 275–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reid, C. S. W., Ulyatt, M. J. & Monro, J. A. (1977) The physical breakdown of feed during digestion in the rumen. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 37, 173–175.Google Scholar
Rousseau, J.-P., Titchen, D. A. & Wood, A. K. W. (1982) Radiological observations of gastric and caudal thoracic oesophageal movements in sheep during regurgitation of rumination. Journal of Physiology 332, 98–99.Google Scholar
Stevens, C. E., Sellers, A. F. & Spurell, F. A. (1960) Function of the bovine omasum in ingesta transfer. American Journal of Physiology 198, 449–455.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sutherland, T. (1988) Particle separation in the forestomachs of sheep. In Comparative Aspects of Physiology of Digestion in Ruminants, pp. 43–73 [Dobson, A. and Dobson, M., editors]. New York: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Troelsen, J. E. & Campbell, J. B. (1968) Voluntary consumption of forage by sheep and its relation to the size and shape of particles in the digestive tract. Animal Production 10, 289–298.Google Scholar
Ulyatt, M. J. (1983) Plant fibre and regulation of digestion in the ruminant. In Fibre in Human and Animal Nutrition, pp. 103–107 [Wallace, G. and Bell, L., editors]. Wellington, New Zealand: The Royal Society.Google Scholar
Ulyatt, M. J., Dellow, D. W., John, A., Reid, C. S. W. & Waghorn, G. C. (1986) Contribution of chewing during eating and rumination to the clearance of digesta from the ruminoreticulum. In Control of Digestion and Metabolism in Ruminants, pp. 498–515 [Milligan, L.P., Grovum, W. L. and Dobson, A., editors]. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. (1975) Physico-chemical aspects of fibre digestion. In Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant, pp. 351–365 [McDonald, I.W. and Warner, A. C. I. editors]. Armidale, Australia: University of New England Publishing Unit.Google Scholar
Van Soest, P. J. (1982) Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant. Corvallis, Oregon: O & B Books Inc.Google Scholar
Welch, J. G. (1982) Rumination, particle size and passage from the rumen. Journal of Animal Science 54, 885–894.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welch, J. G. (1986) Physical parameters of fiber affecting passage from the rumen. Journal of Dairy Science 69, 2750–2754.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Winer, B. J. (1971) Statistical Principles in Experimental Design, 2nd ed. Tokyo: Koseido Printing Co.Google Scholar