The Effect of Fasting Time of Mature, Nonlaying Female Embden Geese on True Metabolizable Energy of Corn ,

Abstract

Mature, nonlaying, female Embden geese were fed either a 12% protein corn-soybean meal diet or alfalfa haylage for 5 months. Excreta collections over a 48-hr fasting period indicated that there was no difference in quantitative excretion due to previous diet and that 12 hr were sufficient to empty the digestive tract of a goose. However, cecal droppings were noted up to 48 hr of collection. In the second experiment, the true metabolizable energy (TME) value of corn was found to increase significantly between 6 and 12-hr periods of fasting prior to force-feeding 50 g of corn. Fasting up to 24 hr resulted in nonsignificant increases in the TME of corn. The TME of corn for geese previously fasted 24 hr was 4.169 kcal/g dry matter. Total metabolic fecal and endogenous urinary energy excretion of mature female geese, ranging from 3817 to 4857 g, was not correlated with body weight. The coefficient of variation was high. The mean metabolic fecal and endogenous urinary energy excretion of female Embden geese for a 24-hr period following an initial 24-hr fast was found to be 8.476 ± .822 kcal of energy per goose.