| Abstract: | Four beef heifers (258 kg), fitted with ruminal, duodenal and ileal cannulae (T-type), were fed a high-forage diet with a low (L) or high (H) level of N (1.44 and 2%, respectively), and received daily doses of either antibiotics (A; 2 g neomycin sulfate and .25 g of bacitracin) or saline (S) into the ileum in a 4 X 4 Latin-square experiment. Passage of nonammonia-N to the duodenum represented 128, 142, 92 and 104% of N intake for LS, LA, HS and HA treatments, respectively, indicating that administration of antibiotics into the ileum tended to increase the output of N from the rumen. Digestion of organic matter, acid detergent fiber and starch in the rumen tended to be lower in animals receiving antibiotics in the terminal ileum. Administration of antibiotics into the ileum tended to increase ruminal ammonia-N (NH3-N) concentration with the H diet, but to decrease ruminal NH3-N with the L diet. Particle passage rate from the rumen, estimated from marker concentrations in feces, was negatively related to ruminal organic matter digestion (r = -.52; P less than .03). Ileal antibiotic infusion tended to slow passage of fluid from the rumen and hindgut, but to increase volume of digesta in the hindgut. |
