Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T06:49:57.976Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of urea on the utilization of ground, pelleted roughage by penned sheep: I. Food intake, live-weight change and wool growth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

J. B. Coombe  and
G. K. Preston
J. B. Coombe
Affiliation:
Division of Plant Industry, C.S.I.R.O., Canberra, Australia
G. K. Preston
Affiliation:
Division of Plant Industry, C.S.I.R.O., Canberra, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Individually-penned adult Merino wethers were fed for 16 weeks on a basal diet of ground, pelleted oat straw or Phalaris straw. Urea was supplied either in a salt-urea block containing 30% urea, or as crystalline urea incorporated into the pellets. A commercial mineral supplement was given during the first 8 weeks, but this was replaced with a laboratory-prepared mineral mix during the second 8 weeks.

Urea supplementation significantly reduced live-weight loss. Over the 16 weeks control sheep lost a mean of 14·5 kg, and supplemented sheep 8·7 kg body weight. Most of this response to urea occurred during the second half of the experimental period.

Food intakes of all sheep increased over the first 2 weeks and then fell. In the unsupplemented groups, levels of intake then remained fairly low, whereas in the sheep fed urea food intakes rose over the final 6 weeks of the experiment. There was a significant linear regression of live-weight change on food intake only with the urea-fed sheep. Intakes of urea-N from the blocks were extremely variable between individual sheep and between periods within sheep; in most cases, however, they appeared to be adequate, as this type of supplementation gave results similar to those obtained by mixing urea throughout the roughage.

There was no significant effect of urea on total wool growth during the experimental period, although wool growth in the supplemented shepp showed a rise towards the end of the experiment. Wool growth in any 4-weekly period was closely related to food intake and live-weight change during that period.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 72 , Issue 2 , April 1969 , pp. 251 - 259
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1969

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

REFERENCES

Beames, R. M. (1959). Molasses and urea as a supplement to low-quality pasture hay for cattle. Qd J. agric. Sci. 16, 223.Google Scholar
Beames, R. M. (1960). The supplementation of low quality hay and pasture with molasses and molassesurea mixtures. Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. 3, 86.Google Scholar
Beames, R. M. (1963). Provision of urea to cattle in a salt/urea/molasses block. Qd J. agric. Sci. 20, 213.Google Scholar
Beames, R. M. & Morris, J. G. (1965). Effect of salturea blocks on body-weight, body composition and wool production of sheep fed low-protein native grass hay. Qd J. agric. Anim. Sci. 22, 369.Google Scholar
Briggs, A. P. (1922). A modification of the Bell-Doisy phosphate method. J. biol. Chem. 53, 13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Briggs, P. K. (1956). The utilization of low quality roughage by sheep. Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. 1, 72.Google Scholar
Burns, M. A. (1965). Urea block licks. Qd agric. J. 91, 12.Google Scholar
Campbell, M. H. & Irvine, J. H. (1966). Block supplementation of sheep grazing a serrated tussock (Nasella trichotoma)-sown. pasture association. Agric. Oaz. N.S.W. 77, 564.Google Scholar
Campling, R. C., Freer, M. & Balch, C. C. (1962). Factors affecting the voluntary intake of food by cows. 3. The effect of urea on the voluntary intake of oat straw. Br. J. Nutr. 16, 116.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clark, R. & Barrie, N. (1954). Winter feeding experiments. Fmg S. Afr. 29, 135.Google Scholar
Clark, R. & Quin, J. I. (1951). Studies on the alimentary tract of the Merino sheep in South Africa. XXIII. The effect of supplementing poor quality grass hay with molasses and N salts. Onderstepoort J. vet. Sci. 25, 93.Google Scholar
Coombe, J. B. & Tribe, D. E. (1962). The feeding of urea supplements to sheep and cattle: the results of penned feeding and grazing experiments. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 55, 125.Google Scholar
Coombe, J. B. & Tribe, D. E. (1963). The effects of urea supplements on the utilization of straw plus molasses diets by sheep. Aust. J. agric. Res. 14, 70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crampton, E. W. & Maynard, L. A. (1938). The relation of cellulose and lignin content to the nutritive value of animal feeds. J. Nutr. 15, 383.Google Scholar
David, D. J. (1959). Determination of calcium in plant material by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Analyst. 84, 536.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duncan, D. B. (1955). Multiple range and multiple F tests. Biometrics 11, 1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferguson, K. A. (1962). The relation between the responses of wool growth and body weight to changes in feed intake. Aust. J. biol. Sci. 15, 720.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Garrido, M. L. (1964). Determination of sulphur in plant material. Analyst 89, 61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, R. J. (1966). The effect of urea-salt-molasses supplements on the winter performance of beef cattle on improved pastures at Samford, south-eastern Queensland. Aust. J. exp. Agric. Anim. Husb. 6, 145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Louw, J. G. (1960). The use of urea-salt blocks as a winter supplement. Fmg S. Afr. 36, 14.Google Scholar
Moinnes, P. & Mangelsdorf, N. W. (1966). The effect of urea block supplementation on the utilization of roughage by sheep. Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. 6, 252.Google Scholar
Meyer, J. H. & Weir, W. C. (1954). The tolerance of sheep to high intakes of sodium chloride. J. Anim. Sci. 13, 443.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minson, D. J. (1962). The effect of grinding, pelleting and wafering on the feeding value of roughages— a review. Contribution no. 84. Anim. Res. Inst., Canada Dept. Agric.Google Scholar
Moir, R. J. & Harris, L. E. (1962). Ruminal flora studies in the sheep. X. Influence of nitrogen intake upon ruminal function. J. Nutr. 77, 285.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moore, L. A. (1964). Symposium on forage utilization: nutritive value of forage as affected by physical form. Part I. General principles involved with ruminants and effect of feeding pelleted or wafered forage to dairy cattle. J. Anim. Sci. 23, 230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morris, J. G. (1966). Supplementation of ruminants with protein and non-protein nitrogen under northern Australian conditions. J. Aust. Inst. agric. Sci. 32, 185.Google Scholar
Paech, K. & Tracey, M. V. (1956). Modern Methods of Plant Analysis, vol. I. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.Google Scholar
Peirce, A. W. (1951). The effect of the ingestion of urea on the rate of wool production by Merino sheep. Aust. J. agric. Res. 2, 435.Google Scholar
Peirce, A. W., Moule, G. R. & Jackson, M. N. S. (1955). The effect of thrice-weekly ingestion of urea on wool production by grazing sheep. Qd J. agric. Sci. 12, 107.Google Scholar
Pieterse, P. J. S. (1961). Feeding urea to cattle on winter veld. Fmg S. Afr. 37, 15.Google Scholar
Pieterse, P. J. S. (1965). Supplementary feed for sheep—an ‘insurance policy’ against a lean winter. Fmg S. Afr. 41, 37.Google Scholar
Ryley, J. W. (1961). Drought-feeding studies with cattle. 6. Sorghum silage, with and without urea, as a drought fodder for cattle in late pregnancy and early lactation. Qd J. agric. Sci. 18, 409.Google Scholar
Shaw, W. M. (1959). Nitric-perchloric acid oxidation for sulphur in plant and animal tissues. Agric. Fd. Chem. 7, 843.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Snedecor, G. W. (1956). Statistical Methods, 5th ed.Ames, Iowa State College Press.Google Scholar
Snook, L. C. (1958). Supplying urea to stock through drinking water. J. Aust. Inst. agric. Sci. 24, 357.Google Scholar
Trevelyan, W. E. & Harrison, J. S. (1952). Studies on yeast metabolism. I. Fractional and microdetermination of cell carbohydrates. Biochem. J. 50, 298.Google Scholar
Tulloh, N. M., Watson, M. J. & Burnell, D. A. (1963). A system for the trough feeding of supplements to grazing sheep. Aust. J. exp. Agric. Anim. Husb. 3, 276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turner, H. N., Hayman, R. H., Riches, J. H., Roberts, N. F. & Wilson, L. T. (1953). Physical definition of sheep and their fleece for breeding and husbandry studies. CSIRO Div. Anim. Health and Prod., Report no. 4, Series S.W. 2.Google Scholar
Vogel, A. J. (1939). Quantitative Inorganic Analysis. London Longmans, Green and Co.Google Scholar
White, E. P., Thompson, F. B. & Brice, N. (1948). Application of the Dumas micromethod to pasture nitrogen analysis. Analyst 73, 146.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, N. M., Pearce, G. R., Delaney, M. & Tribe, D. E. (1959). The growth and appetite of sheep on high-fibre low-protein diets supplemented with urea and molasses. Emp. J. exp. Agric. 27, 107.Google Scholar
Wilson, A. D. (1966a). The intake and excretion of sodium by sheep fed on species of Atriplex (saltbush) and Kochia (bluebush). Aust. J. agric. Res. 17, 155.Google Scholar
Wilson, A. D. (1966b). The tolerance of sheep to sodium chloride in food or drinking water. Aust. J. agric. Res. 17, 503.CrossRefGoogle Scholar