This experiment was carried out to study the effect of a directly fed exogenous fibrolytic enzyme on intake and digestion of DM, OM, protein, NDF, ADF, and hemicellulose of alfalfa and ryegrass hay by sheep. Four diets were randomly assigned to four ruminally cannulated lambs using a 4 x 4 Latin square design, repeated in time, with a factorial arrangement (2 x 2) of diets: 1) alfalfa hay; 2) a...

To visualize and localize specific bacteria associated with plant materials, a new fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) protocol was established. By using this protocol, we successfully minimized the autofluorescence of orchard grass hay and detected rumen bacteria attached to the hay under a fluorescence microscope. Real-time PCR assays were also employed to quantitatively monitor the rep...

Alfalfa was harvested from alternate windrows as 40% DM silage or hay in small rectangular bales and fed in two 12-wk 4 x 4 Latin square trials, each with 20 multiparous lactating cows (4 with ruminal cannulas). Diets contained (DM basis) 69 (trial 1) or 66% (trial 2) alfalfa, 26 to 33% high moisture corn, 1.3% minerals and vitamins, and about 1.6 Mcal of NEL/kg of DM. In trial 1, second-cuttin...

The response of montane and subalpine hay meadow plant and arthropod communities to the application of liquid manure and aerial irrigation - two novel, rapidly spreading management practices - remains poorly understood, which hampers the formulation of best practice management recommendations for both hay production and biodiversity preservation. In these nutrient-poor mountain grasslands, a mo...

I . In four feeding experiments with sheep the utilization of proteins contained in lucerne hay and of those in toasted soya-bean meal (SBM), representing a roughage and concentrate feed respectively, were examined. The ration of one group of animals contained lucerne hay as sole source of digestible protein and that of the other SBM. 2. Measurements of the nitrogen balance showed clearly the s...

Marker methods are needed for estimating fecal output by grazing animals in studies of nutrition and environmental impact. In addition, estimates of prefecal mass and turnover time are relevant to exercise performance and certain digestive disorders. As a first step in developing marker methods for field use, a chromic oxide model of fecal kinetics was developed and tested in the context of a d...

Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of indigestible neutral detergent fiber (iNDF) of ration for estimation of rumen degradability of fiber in sheep. In experiment 1, to determine feed iNDF, four ruminal fistulated Zel ewes were used. Three grams of alfalfa hay, corn silage, barley grain, wheat bran, ration 1 (including alfalfa hay and concentrate), and ration 2 (including ...