Effects of supplementary probiotics to two different diets on dry matter intake, daily gain, digestibility, ruminal pH, and fecal microbial populations and metabolites in ewes

Abstract

ABSTRACTTo study the effects of supplementary probiotics on dry matter intake (DMI), daily gain (DG), digestibility, ruminal pH, and fecal microbial populations and metabolites in ruminants, two reversal trials were conducted by using four Suffolk ewes fitted with rumen cannula. The ewes were fed with oat hay and with concentrate and oat hay in the ratio of 60 : 40 in experiments 1 and 2, respectively. The ewes in the treatment groups were supplemented with 10 g/day/head probiotics for 49 days. Fresh fecal samples were collected to measure microbial populations and metabolites. On days 43–47 total feces was collected to measure digestibility, and on the days 48 and 49 ruminal pH was measured. No significant difference of DMI, DG, dry matter digestibility, and ruminal pH was observed between the control and treatment groups. The probiotics treatment tended to increase crude fiber (P = 0.11) and organic cell wall digestibility (P = 0.18). In the final week, probiotics treatment significantly increased the fecal population of Bacilli (P < 0.05) and mold (P < 0.01) in experiment 1 and 2, respectively. No significant difference of fecal VFA and ammonia concentrations between the control and treatment groups was observed. The supplementary probiotics changed population of some microbial strains in the feces and possibly the large intestine of ewes.