The objectives of these experiments were to study the positive associative effects of supplementing barley straw-based diets with different levels of alfalfa hay on nutrient intake, rumen environment, and nutrient digestibility and to evaluate the minimal amount of alfalfa hay needed to produce such an effect in ewes. In experiment one, 15 Awassi ewes (®ve ruminally ®stulated; body weight ˆ 54 ...

Story in Brief Two levels oflimestone (.7 and 2.0 percent) were fed with two levels of chopped alfalfa hay (10 and 50 percent) to 22 Hereford steers (517 lb). The diet also contained whole shelled corn and supplement. Animals were fed individually at a level equal to 2.5 percent of body weight daily in two equal meals. Organic matter, fiber and nitrogen digestibility were increased with added l...

the objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of different doses of some 7 natural semi-arid medicinal plants’ essential oils on in vitro ruminal digestion and fermentation patterns of a mid-forage (alfalfa hay: concentrates, 1:1) diet. treatments consisted of either basal diet alone (control) or added with 35, 70, 140 or 280 µl l-1 of coriander, oregano, caraway, cumin, cinn...

In vitro experiments were conducted to examine the characteristics and mode of action of a protease that increased the ruminal fiber digestibility of alfalfa hay. A commercial source of protease (Protex 6L, Genencor Int., Rochester, NY), already characterized for its main activities, was further analyzed to determine protease activity in response to pH, molecular size by SDS-PAGE, specificity t...

the present study was conducted in order to determine the effects of feeding frequency (ff) on dairy cow performance fed a total mixed ration (tmr) based on chopped alfalfa hay. eight multiparous early lactation holstein cows were housed in the individual boxes (4 × 3 m) and fed either once a day (1x) at 0700 h or 4 times a day (4x) at 0100, 0700, 1300 and 1900 h with tmr. the experiment was do...

OBJECTIVE This study was conducted to determine molecular structures related to carbohydrates and lipid in alfalfa hay cut at early bud, late bud and early flower and in the afternoon and next morning using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT/IR) and to determine their relationship with alfalfa hay nutrient profile and availability in ruminants. METHODS Chemical composition analysis, ...

Alfalfa hay utilization by dairy cattle has expanded in western dairy states. Alfalfa silage utilization has increased in the Midwest. Alfalfa haylage contains high levels of nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) due to protein breakdown during fermentation. Excessive levels of NPN in alfalfa silage diets require supplementation of protected protein sources to meet protein demands of high-producing cattle....

Current interest in amaranth as a food resource for humans and animals has been stimulated by activities in germplasm collection and testing in the U.S. Fifteen growing, intact male lambs weighing 18.7 kg were assigned randomly to three diets (five lambs/diet) for a 14-d growth trial followed immediately by an 8-d (4-d adjustment, 4-d collection) digestion and N balance trial to determine the u...