Nutritive value of white clover and perennial ryegrass

Abstract

Thirty Romney wether hoggets were individually fed for 94 days at maintenance or ad lib.levels of nutrition on pure or 50 : 50 mixed diets of white clover and perennial ryegrass. Comparative slaughter and balance techniques were used to study the utilisation of dietary energy. The white clover contained higher levels of crude protein than the ryegrass, but lower levels of soluble and structural carbohydrates. Animals fed white clover grew faster than those fed ryegrass, but the growth rates of those on the mixed diet were not significantly different from the average of those on the two pure diets. The average apparent digestibility of the gross energy of all rations was 75%. Of the digestible energy (DE) 82% and 84% was metabolised by the maintenance and ad lib. animals, respectively. There were no significant differences between diets either in percentage digestibility or percentage metabolisability, but the metabolisable energy (ME) content of the dry matter (DM) consun;ed at the maintenance le...