Digestibility In Cattle Research Articles

Psychrophilic digestion of dairy cattle and pig manure: Start-up procedures of batch, fed-batch and CSTR-type digesters

Procedures were evaluated to start up anaerobic digesters at psychrophilic temperatures (5–20°C) fermenting either pig or dairy cattle manure. Below 20°C no methane formation was initiated without inoculum. Using a temperature-adapted seed material (50%), batch cultures and accumulation systems could be started at temperatures as low as 5 and 10°C, respectively. Independent of the system, the time to start up cattle manure at 20–25°C took as long as 10–40 days, depending on whether an inoculum was used or not. The corresponding value for pig manure was 40–60 days. In an accumulation system the start-up time of pig manure could be shortened by 20 days when stored cow manure was added. The addition of a 100% seed of mesophilically-treated sludge was a suitable means of initiating digestion of cattle manure in a continuous-flow system at 20°C as long as the retention time remained above 40 days.

Effects of level of intake and urea supplementation of alkali-treated straw on protozoal and bacterial nitrogen synthesis in the rumen and partition of digestion in cattle

Six Friesian heifers (c. 300 kg) fitted with cannulas were given diets of wheat straw sprayed with NaOH (4.4 % wlw) and essential minerals either with or without urea (3% w/w). The total protozoal numbers in the rumen fluid were not significantly different between dietary trcatments (mean 6.2 X 104/ml). However, there were more holotrichs and medium-size entodiniomorph protozoa in the rumen fluid of the cattle given the HU and LU diets than the Hand L diets. Protozoal counts in the omasal fluid were 44% of those in rumen fluid. The apparent digestibilities of OM and neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) in the stomach and in the total tract were lower with high than low feed intakes. The urea supplement enhanced the digestibilities of OM and NDF in the stomach and in the total tract. The total nitrogen (N) and non-ammonia N (NAN) flowing to the omasum and to the duodenum per unit of N intake were significantly greater with the low than the high feed intakes and with urea supplementation of the diets than without urea supplementation. The proportions of total microbial N and bacterial N in omasal NAN were higher with the supplement of urea than the unsupplemented straw. The bacterial N in the NAN flowing to the omasum was lower for the high than the low intakes. Concentrations of ammonia-N and total volatile fatty acids in rumen fluid were higher for the ureasupplemented straw than the unsupplemented straw. The high level of feed intake was associated with higher water volume and solid contents in the rumen.

Effect of Orally Administered Pilocarpine on Ruminal Characteristics and Nutrient Digestibility in Cattle

Four barren Holstein cows weighing 637kg were fed a 45% concentrate diet plus the following amounts of pilocarpine: 1) 0 mg/kg; 2) 1 mg/kg; 3) 2 mg/kg; 4) 4 mg/kg body weight in a 4×4 Latin square design. Cows were administered the treatments for a 14-d adaptation period followed by an 8-d collection period. Digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, cellulose, and hemicellulose were determined during the first 3 d of the collection period. Ruminal liquid volume, volatile fatty acids, NH3N, bacterial mass production, viable bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria, liquid dilution rate, and particulate rate of passage were measured during the remainder of the collection period. As pilocarpine increased from 0 to 4 mg/kg body weight, digestibility of dry matter and cellulose increased by 8.5%. Digestibility of crude protein increased by 6.1%. Digestibility of hemicellulose was unchanged. Ruminal liquid volume was unchanged by treatment, whereas liquid dilution rate and particulate rate of passage increased 30% as pilocarpine increased. Ruminal volatile fatty acid concentrations and proportion were unchanged by treatment. Ruminal pH increased 4.2% and NH3N decreased by 37% as pilocarpine increased. Percent cellulolytic and bacterial mass production tended to increase as pilocarpine increased.

Relative intakes, digestibility and bacterial protein synthesis by sheep and cattle fed high-roughage diets

Six each of yearling Merino and Border Leicester crossbred wethers (35.9 ± 0.67 kg liveweight) and yearling Hereford heifers (226.7 ± 5.90 kg liveweight), all fitted with rumen and abomasal cannulae were offered coarsely-milled, NaOH-treated wheat straw ad libitum, either alone (W) or with supplements of cotton-seed meal (WC) or barley (WB). Animals within species were arranged in two 3 × 3 latin squares which were combined in a single analysis of variance to determine species (Sp), diet (D) and Sp× D effects. Voluntary dry matter intakes by sheep and cattle were similar when expressed as g/kg liveweight (W) 1.0 (30.4 and 28.7, respectively), but were higher in cattle when expressed as g/kg W 0.9 ( P < 0.05) and g/kg W 0.75 ( P < 0.01). Cell wall (CW) digestibility and calculated metabolizable energy intakes (MEI) relative to maintenance requirements (Mm) were higher in cattle than in sheep ( P < 0.05). The relationship between relative metabolizable energy intakes by cattle and sheep was: y = 0.79 (± 0.195) + 0.64 (± 0.120) x, r = 0.798 ( P < 0.05), where y = MEI Mm for cattle and x = MEI Mm for sheep, Sy· x = ± 0.0164. Sheep digested more nitrogen (N) ( P < 0.01) and had 6.7% higher digestible organic matter in dry matter (DOMD) values than cattle. The higher intakes by cattle (g/Kg W 0.9 and g/kg W 0.75) were associated with larger rumen pool sizes (g/kg W 0.9 and g/kg W 0.75) and higher liquid fractional outflow rates from the rumen of cattle. Higher CW digestibility by cattle was associated with a faster CW digestion when measured by incubating straw in nylon bags within the rumen. The higher apparent N digestibility in the whole tract of sheep was associated with a higher proportion of bacterial N in abomasal N of sheep (81 compared to 68% in cattle), and was accounted for by greater apparent N digestibility in the intestines of sheep. The much lower N digestibility in cattle would have contributed substantially to DOMD being lower in cattle than in sheep. It is apparent that measurements of nutritional value of alkali-treated straw diets should be made with the animal species for which the diets are intended.

The indirect estimation of the digestibility in cattle of herbage from Belgian permanent pasture

AbstractRelationships between herbage organic matter digestibility measured in vivo, and faecal nitrogen concentration were determined. Measurements of in vivo digestibility were made on twenty‐nine herbages, cut from mixed improved permanent pastures with Lolium perenne as the predominant grass and offered ad libitum to cattle. The faecal nitrogen index predicted the herbage digestibility with good accuracy, and the equations obtained should have application for such determinations on Belgian pastures.

Aqueous ammonia treatment of wheat straw: Voluntary intake and digestibility in cattle

Three experiments were conducted using yearling cattle weighing 235–349 kg with straw treated with aqueous ammonia (ca. 30 g NH 3 per kg straw) in plastic covered stacks. In all experiments ammoniation approximately doubled the nitrogen (N) content of straws and increased straw intake and digestibility. The chromic oxide marker technique was used to determine digestibility. In Experiment 1, daily intakes of straw dry matter (DM) and digestibility of the organic matter (OMD) of untreated and ammoniated wheat straws (cultivar ‘Bounty’) at 4.4 and 5.5 kg, and 0.43 and 0.55, respectively, were greater than those of barley straw (mixture of 3 cultivars) at 4.2 and 4.9 kg, and 0.40 and 0.50, respectively. A soya bean meal supplement had no effect on intake or digestibility of untreated straws. In Experiment 2, daily DM intake and OMD of untreated, wheat straw (‘Armada’) and the same straw treated with aqueous ammonia in a plastic covered stack or anhydrous ammonia in an “Andashstra-verter” oven were 4.3, 4.7 and 4.8 kg and 0.44, 0.50 and 0.55, respectively. In a third experiment there were significant differences in intake, but not digestibility, between straws of three wheat cultivars (‘Avalon’, ‘Flanders’ and ‘Armada’) before and after ammoniation. It is concluded that the effect of treatment of straw with aqueous ammonia by the stack method on the feeding value of straw was more variable than expected and may be related to differences between cultivars.

Dynamics of digestion in cattle, sheep, goats and deer.

Four experiments were conducted to study factors affecting digestibility of forages in cattle, sheep, goats and white-tailed deer. In a series of digestion trials (Exp. 1), the dry matter digestibility of a moderately high fiber diet was greater in cattle than in deer. Digestibilities of the diet in sheep and goats were intermediate and not different from either extreme. In a second series of trials (Exp. 2), relative organic matter digestibilities were for goats more than sheep more than deer. However, in Exp. 2, intake in goats was very low and digestibility appeared to be positively related to retention time and inversely related to turnover rate. Results of three trials (Exp. 3) suggested that rate of digestion was related more to diet than to the animal species consuming the diet. In grazing animals (Exp. 4), goats digested a smaller percentage of consumed material than either cows or sheep during three of four seasons even though diets were of similar in vitro digestibility. This difference was related to a faster turnover and shorter retention time in goats. These data support the concept that there are species differences in gastrointestinal dynamics which may be which may be important determinants of adaptability to grazing conditions.

The Effects of Commercial Processing Method of Cottonseed Meal on Site and Extent of Digestion in Cattle

The effects of commercial oil extraction (direct solvent extraction, DS; prepress solvent extraction, PP; screw press, SP) of cottonseed meal (CSM) on ruminal protein escape was measured using solubility measurements, in situ methods, ruminal and duodenal-cannulated dairy steers and duodenal-cannulated cows. Steers were fed an 80% concentrate diet at 1.8% of body weight (dry matter) and the dairy cows received 60% concentrate diets at a dry matter (DM) intake level of 3.1% of body weight. Amount of nitrogen (N) soluble in .15 N NaCl from SP CSM (14.7% of N) was about one-half that of DS and PP (28.8 and 27.4%, P<.01). Rate of N disappearance from 4 to 12 h and from 12 to 20 h tended to be greater for DS than for PP and SP CSM. In the cow trial, ruminal escape of supplemental N was highest (P<.05) for SP (SP 57.0% vs DS 34.7%, PP 35.3% and SBM 35.0%). Rumen escape of CSM N did not differ significantly with processing method (SP 42.9%, DS 33.9%, PP 38.3%) in the trial with steers, though trends were similar to those found in the cow trial. In both trials, organic matter (OM) and starch digestion were decreased in the rumen and increased postruminally with SP as compared with DS and PP. These data indicate that processing method of CSM alters site of protein and OM digestion and that protein escape will vary with experimental conditions.

Prevalence of oxygen-intolerant methanogenic bacteria in feces and anaerobic wastes

We have investigated the number of methanogenic bacteria in different samples of fresh feces and effluents from the anaerobic digestion of cattle and swine waste and municipal sludges. We have further compared conventional anaerobic techniques with the rigorous, oxygen-free, anaerobic, experimental conditions obtained in a controlled glove cabinet atmosphere. It was found that the total number of oxygen-intolerant methanogenic bacteria was about 10–100 times higher than that of anaerobic oxygen-tolerant methanogenic bacteria. We have also developed a simple technique for the growth of methanogenic bacteria that permits the realization of rigorous anaerobic conditions without the use of a glove cabinet.

Effect of dietary corn starch intake on ruminal, small intestinal and large intestinal starch digestion in cattle.

In Exp. 1, 24 yearling Holstein steers averaging 340 kg were fed either an alfalfa hay diet at a maintenance level of metabolizable energy (ME) intake or corn silage-corn diets at one, two or three times maintenance ME intake. After a 42-day adjustment period, steers were fed individually, and digestibilities of total alpha-glucosides, starch oligosaccharides and glucose were determined at 2-week intervals, with chromic oxide used as an indicator. Steers fed the alfalfa hay diet had higher (P less than .05) total tract digestibilities of total alpha-glucosides and starch than steers fed the corn diets. Fecal starch (percentage of dry matter) in steers fed the corn diets increased (P less than .05) from approximately 11 to 31% as level of ME intake increased from one to three times maintenance. Starch digestibilities for the corn diets fed at one, two and three times maintenance were 81.4, 76.4 and 76.0%, respectively. However, these trends toward reduced starch digestibilities were not significant. There appeared to be no apparent adaption of alpha-glucoside digestibility in the total digestive tract among steers fed different levels of corn over the intervals observed. In Exp. 2, four Holstein steers (350 KH) were each fitted with duodenal and ileal reentrant cannulas and fed either a low or a high level of corn. Alpha-glucoside intakes for animals given the low and high levels of cord averaged 1.7 and 3.2 kg, respectively. Steers fed the high level of corn digested more (p less than .05) alpha-glucoside in the total tract (2.9 vs 1.6 kg), reticulo-rumen (2.3 vs 1.2 kg) and large intestine level of corn. Steers fed the high level of corn also digested more corn in the small intestine (.415 vs .221 kg) than steers fed the lower level; however, differences were not significant. Although there were trends toward lower partial digestion coefficients (expressed as a percentage of alpha-glucoside presented to that segment) in the total tract, reticulo-rumen and small intestine for steers fed the high corn diet, the magnitude of the differences was not significant.

Bison and Cattle Digestion of Forages from the Slave River Lowlands, Northwest Territories, Canada

Dry matter disappearance (DMD) of native forages collected from the Slave River Lowlands (SRL), Northwest Territories, was consistently greater in bison (Bison bison) than in Hereford cattle (Bos taurus) when measured with a nylon bag technique. Overall average DMD values were 52% and 39% for bison and cattle, respectively. Mean percent DMD values for each plant species were: willow (Salix spp.), 56; slough sedge (Carex atherodes), 50; baltic rush (Juncus balticus), 47; aleppo avens (Geum aleppicum), 44; and northern reedgrass (Calamagrostis inexpansa), 39. Dry matter disappearance was inversely correlated (P 0.05) in DMD between two bison fed the hay ration and two fed hay plus the supplement. The Slave River Lowlands (SRL) (approximately 600 to 610 N latitude; 1 120 to 1 130 W longitude) is the home range of approximately 400 wild bison. An assessment of this area as range for bison and cattle was undertaken because of its importance to bison and because of a growing interest in the potential of this area as cattle range (Reynolds et al. 1978). Too few data are available for making empirical comparisons of digestibility between bison and cattle. Comparative data on the digestion of grass, sedge, and alfalfa hays of bison, yak, and cattle were reported by Richmond et al. (1977). Peden et al. ( 1974) compared the digestibilities of forages grazed by bison and cattle using a nylon bag technique. This technique has been useful for ranking the digestibilities of different feedstuffs (Figroid et al. 1972; Kercher et al. 1964), assessing the effect of different rations on digestibility (el-Shazly et al. 1961; Neathery 1969) and comparing the digestive capacities of animal species (Peden et al. 1974; Van Dyne 1962). The objectives of the present experiment were (1) to compare the digestibilities of native forages from the SRL, (2) to compare the digestive capacities of bison and cattle, and (3) to compare the effects of feeding a roughage as opposed to a roughage and concentrate ration on these digestibilities. The nylon bag technique was therefore well suited to our needs Authors are wildlife biologist, Alberta Environmental Centre, Vegreville, Alberta; research scientist, Canadian Wildlife Service, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan; biologist, Canadian Wildlife Service, Edmonton, Alberta, and assistant professor, Department of Animal Science. University of Maryland, College Park. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of R.M. Hansen, Range Science Department, E. Keith and R. Souther, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, and the statistical assistance of G.E.J. Smith, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario. We also thank R.H. Russell and M.C.S. Kingsley, Canadian Wildlife Service, Edmonton, Alberta, for their valuable reviews of this manuscript. Analyses of sample ether extract and crude fiber contents were conducted by the Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, and the Alberta Soil and Feeding Testing Laboratory, Edmonton, respectively. The study was supported by Canadian Wildlife Service Contract No. 0SZ5-0285. Manuscript received August 14, 1979. and was chosen to make these comparisons. Materials and Methods Samples of native forages were collected in the SRL in February and June, 1975. Summer samples of willow consisted of approximately equal dry weights of leaves and twigs from the terminal 12 cm of the twigs. Winter willow samples were comprised of twigs only. Herbaceous plant samples included the entire aerial portion of the plant cut at approximately 2 cm above ground. All samples were air-dried and ground through a I-mm mesh screen. Nylon bag digestibility experiments were conducted using two ruminally fistulated adult Hereford cattle and four ruminally fistulated adult bison at the Pawnee Site, International Biological Program, Nunn, Colorado, during January 1976. One Hereford and two bison were fed crested wheatgrass hay containing 6% crude protein (CP) (Table 1). One Hereford and two bison were fed Table 1. Animals used in nylon bag digestibility experiments.

Anaerobic digestion of cattle and sheep wastes

Cattle and sheep wastes were allowed to digest anaerobically in bench scale digestors to produce gas. Sheep waste was found to be better than cattle waste. Cellulose degradation and gas production from cattle waste fed to digesters was found to increase on supplementation with sheep waste at the 5 to 10% level. The methane content of the gas varied between 60 and 72%, the remainder being carbon dioxide.

A note on anaerobic digestion of cattle and poultry wastes

Pilot-plant digestion of cattle and poultry wastes has shown that significant reductions in polluting power, including reduction in odour, can be obtained. Specific gas production, and methane content, is lower from cattle than from poultry wastes. For both wastes detention times approaching 20 days seems optimal. With cattle wastes digestion is better at higher than lower solids contents, while the reverse is true for poultry wastes. These effects are probably caused by the ammonia content of the wastes.

Dysprosium as an Indicator in Cattle Digestion Trials

Two digestion trials were conducted to determine recovery of dysprosium (Dy) from steers and the reliability of Dy as an inert indicator. In trial 1, six steers were fed alfalfa hay sprayed with Dy solution to give a final concentration of approximately 40 ppm elemental dysprosium. Triplicate subsamples of hay and fecal composite (10-day) samples for each steer had mean coefficients of variation of 5.4 and 1.6%, respectively. Mean fecal Dy recovery was 91.3 ± 1.4%. In trial 2, six steers were fed sprayed hay containing approximately 40 ppm Dy, and another six steers were fed unsprayed hay and received approximately 150 mg Dy in each of two boluses/day administered at feeding time. Fecal Dy recovery means were 90.6 ± .2% and 80.4 ± .3% for bolus and sprayed hay treatments, respectively. The low variation within treatments in indicator recovery suggests an unidentified procedural error confounded with treatment, since method of adminstration does not appear to be a feasible cause for the significant treatment effect. Grab sample data indicated a minimum of 2 days should be allowed following introduction of the indicator before total fecal collections are initiated to permit equilibration of the indicator throughout the digestive tract. Concentration of Dy in grab samples collected at 1600 hr were more representative of total collection sample values than were those for samples obtained at 0700 hr or the two combined grab samples. Coefficients of variation for indicator recovery within steers and within days for grab and total collection samples were similar in order of magnitude (8%). Bolus administration of Dy increased the difference in recovery between grab periods (diurnal variation) with only a slight increase in statistical variation. Grab sampling twice daily using Dy as an indicator provided a reliable alternative to total fecal collections in this study. Use of Dy as an indicator in digestion studies is recommended based upon consistent recovery with minimal variation and the availability of a reliable analysis procedure.

Seasonal Trends in Nutrients and Cattle Digestibility of Forage on Pine-Wiregrass Range

Samples of pineland threeawn, Curtiss drop-seed, bluestem grasses, other grasses, forbs, and shrubs were collected at 2-week intervals during the grazing season (April to October) on pine-wiregrass range in southern Georgia. They were analyzed for nylon bag dry-matter digestibility (NBDMD), two-state in vitro dry-matter digestibility (IVDMD) by cattle, crude protein (CP), cell-wall constituents (CWC), and dry matter (DM). NBDMD and IVDMD were highly correlated for each species or group of species and for all species together, indicating that both methods gave a similar estimate of digestibility for herbaceous plants. The shrub sample, which contained woody twigs along with leaves, was more digestible in NBDMD and IVDMD tests; however, the correlation between the two techniques was high. As the season advanced through late summer, CP and IVDMD decreased and DM increased. The poor quality of forage on pine-wiregrass range was indicated by CP levels under 8% and IVDMD of less than 40% during most of the grazing season. Crude protein appeared useful for predicting digestibility of grasses but not forbs and shrubs. Neither CWC nor DM appeared useful for predicting digestibility of forbs and shrubs.

Digestion of polysaccharide constituents of tropical pasture herbage in the bovine rumen : Part III. Examination of the celluloses and hemicelluloses of spear grass ( heteropogon contortus) which resist digestion

The hemicellulose and cellulose components of spear grass which survive digestion in cattle have been examined by isolation of these polysaccharide fractions from the following samples: ( i) fresh spear grass, ( ii) spear grass held in the rumen for 3 days, ( iii) a mixed pasture sample (predominantly spear grass), ( iv) faeces fibre from cattle fed on ( iii). The digested samples showed lower contents of cellulose and higher contents of hemicellulose than the undigested samples. The hemicellulose-B components from each were further separated into linear and branched fractions and compared. In all cases, the branched hemicellulose contained more arabinose and uronic acid than the corresponding linear hemicellulose. The arabinose content of the samples of undigested hemicellulose-B was higher than that in the digested samples.

Use of polyethylene glycol in estimating volume and weight of rumen contents, and digestion in cattle.

Use of polyethylene glycol in estimating volume and weight of rumen contents, and digestion in cattle.

Effect of hydroponically produced oat grass on ration digestibility of cattle.

Effect of hydroponically produced oat grass on ration digestibility of cattle.

The influence of casein upon roughage digestion in cattle with rumen bacteriological studies.

The influence of casein upon roughage digestion in cattle with rumen bacteriological studies.

The Influence of Corn Starch upon Roughage Digestion in Cattle

The Influence of Corn Starch upon Roughage Digestion in Cattle