Abstract
A comparative study was made of the effect of different sucrose, starch and cellulose supplements and the effect of different silage preservatives on the quality and quantity of the rumen microbiota of sheep fed on grass silage. The levels of the carbohydrate supplements were 15 % and 30 % of the dry matter of the daily rations, representing 2 1/2 and 5 g/kg animal live weight per day. The silages were prepared with three different preservatives: 1) AIV I solution (25 % formic acid and 20 % hydrochloric acid), 2) formic acid and 3) Viher solution (26 %formic acid and 70 % formalin). The total number of ciliates was highest in the animals receiving sucrose with the silage, lower in those given starch and lowest in those given cellulose. On the pure silage diet, it was between those for the starch and cellulose diets. The total number of bacteria decreased in the opposite direction on the different diets. The sucrose supplements increased the numbers of small ciliates especially and the cellulose supplements those of the bigger ciliates. The total volume of the ciliate fauna was thus highest in the animals on cellulose diets, lower in those on starch diets and lowest in those on sucrose diets. The total microbe mass constituted the following percentages of the rumen content on the different diets: only silage 4.1, 15 % sucrose 3.5, 30 % sucrose 3.5, 15 % starch 4.0, 30 % starch 4.5, 15% cellulose 4.6 and 30 % cellulose 5.2. Bacteria constituted 77—86 % of the total microbe mass on the different diets, the precentage being highest on the sucrose diets and lowest on the cellulose diets. Only small differences were found between the different silage preservatives in the effect on the rumen microbiota.
Highlights
A comparative study was made of the effect of different sucrose, starch and cellulose supplements and the effect of different silage preservatives on the quality and quantity of the rumen microbiota of sheep fed on grass silage
Bacteria constituted 77 —B6 % of the total microbe mass on the different diets, the precentage being highest on the sucrose diets and lowest on the cellulose diets
The silages were prepared with three different preservatives: AIV I (25 % formic acid and 20 % hydrochloric acid), formic acid (86 %) and Viher solution (26 % formic acid and 70 % formalin)
Summary
The experiment was performed with nine rumen-fistulated adult Finnsheep rams according to a Latin-square design. The carbohydrate supplements given with the silages were pure sucrose, potato starch and sulphite cellulose from the wood industry. Iml of methyl green (1 g methyl green and 2 ml glacial acetic acid and 100 ml aqua destillata) was added to each sample. In this way the original rumen sample was diluted to 1: 10, and the nuclei of the ciliates were stained deep bluish green. Ten counts were performed on each rumen sample In this way, the ciliates of 18 mm 3 of diluted rumen contents were counted
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