The effect of grain species, processing and time of feeding on the efficiency of feed utilization and microbial protein synthesis in sheep |
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| Authors: | A Horadagoda WJ Fulkerson I Barchia RC Dobos KS Nandra |
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| Institution: | aMC Franklin Laboratory, University of Sydney, Camden, New South Wales 2570, Australia;bElizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Menangle, New South Wales 2570, Australia;cNSW Department of Primary Industries Beef Industry Centre, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia |
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| Abstract: | This study investigated the effect of cereal grain species (sorghum, wheat, oats and barley), extent of processing (cracked barley, finely ground barley, and wet whole barley) and time of feeding (barley grain mixed with ryegrass hay or fed 2 h before hay was fed), on whole tract dry matter digestibility (WTDMD), and microbial protein synthesis (MPS), as a supplement to ryegrass hay when fed to rumen-cannulated sheep.Expected dry matter digestibility (EDMD) in mixtures of cereal grain and ryegrass hay was calculated by interpolation between in vitro dry matter digestibility (DMD) of each grain and the ryegrass hay. These were compared with measured actual WTDMD to detect positive or negative associative effects. Among grain species, the percentage difference in digestibility between actual WTDMD and EDMD was negative at − 6.6% units for wheat but positive at + 2.3%, + 4.3% and + 5.7% units for sorghum, oats, cracked or finely ground barley, respectively.As expected, the supplementation of sheep fed ryegrass hay with different sources of carbohydrates increased urinary allantoin output (as an indicator of MPS) when compared to sheep fed ryegrass hay alone. The concentration of urinary allantoin was significantly higher in sheep supplemented with sorghum (1916 mg/sheep/day) than wheat, oats or cracked barley (mean ± S.E.M.] 1451 ± 24 mg/sheep/day) grain. There was a significantly higher urinary allantoin concentration in sheep fed cracked barley compared to finely ground barley or wet whole barley (1479 vs. 1095 vs. 1031 mg/sheep/day, respectively). There was no significant (P > 0.05) difference in urinary allantoin output, expressed as output/kg DM intake, when cracked barley was mixed and fed with the hay or fed 2 h before hay. However, in terms of total output of allantoin this was significantly higher (P < 0.05) (1479 vs. 1209 mg/sheep/day).In sacco degradability characteristics of organic matter and nitrogen for sorghum, oats, wheat, barley at different levels of processing and for ryegrass hay were also measured in the rumen of cannulated sheep.Among grain species, wheat had the highest effective organic matter degradability in the rumen (78.1%) while sorghum had the lowest. The effective degradability of protein of finely ground barley in the rumen was found to be higher than cracked barley or wet whole barley.Wheat grain, being highly degradable in the rumen, had a negative effect on WTDMD. In contrast, sorghum grain, being more slowly degradable in the rumen, would be expected to provide a substantially increased supply of energy to microbes over time in the rumen for MPS.Both cracked barley and finely ground barley also had a positive associative effect on WTDMD when fed with ryegrass increasing it by 5.7% units. The MPS was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in sheep fed cracked barley compared to finely ground barley or wet whole barley. This supports the hypothesis that slowly degrading carbohydrate sources synchronise more closely with available N from degradation of forage in the rumen. |
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| Keywords: | Cereal grains Allantoin Microbial protein synthesis Rumen degradability In vivo digestibility |
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