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The use of long-chain n-alkanes for estimating intake and digestibility of herbage in cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 November 2017

R.V. Mayes ,
I.A. Wright ,
C.S. Lamb  and
Alison McBean
R.V. Mayes
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 OPY
I.A. Wright
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 OPY
C.S. Lamb
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 OPY
Alison McBean
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 OPY
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Extract

Studies with sheep suggest that accurate estimates of herbage intake can be obtained by using the herbage alkane tritriacontane (C33) and dosed dotriacontane (C32) as markers, since the faecal recoveries of both alkanes have been shown to be very similar. To validate the technique for herbage intake estimation in grazing cattle there is a need to compare in cattle, the faecal recoveries of both herbage and dosed n-alkanes. It has been observed in sheep that the faecal recoveries of n-alkanes increase as their chain lengths increase, suggesting that the recovery of hexatriacontane (C36), an alkane absent from herbage but available commercially at low cost, should be complete. C36 may therefore have potential as a dosed marker for estimation of faecal output. Thus it may .30 be possible to obtain estimates of both herbage intake and diet digestibility in the same individual grazing animal using n-alkanes as markers. The purpose of the experiment described here was to determine the faecal recoveries in cattle of odd-chain n-alkanes from fresh herbage and of C32 and C36 dosed n-alkanes.

Type
Herbage Intake
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) , Volume 1986 , March 1986 , pp. 83
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1986

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