The utilization of nitrogen and sulfur by weaner and mature merino sheep

1983 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 433 ◽  
Author(s):  
PT Doyle ◽  
JK Egan
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Energy Reserves ◽  
Merino Sheep ◽  
Adult Sheep ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Medium Quality ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
The Difference

The intake, excretion, and retention of nitrogen and sulfur were measured in weaner (liveweight 15-17 kg) and mature (40-45 kg) Merino sheep offered ad libitum amounts of three pasture hays. The hays (H, M and L) varied in their content of digestible organic matter (71, 59 and 45%), of nitrogen (2.84, 0.72 and 1.20%), and of sulfur (0.20, 0.13 and 0.09%). When given the most-digestible hay (H), the weaners retained more nitrogen than did the mature sheep (0.97 v. 0.81 g per l00g digestible organic matter intake (DOMI), but there was no difference in retention of sulfur (79 v. 74 mg per l00g DOMI)). However, on the basis of metabolic liveweight, the weaners incorporated more of both nutrients into tissues, while the mature wethers incorporated more nitrogen and sulfur into wool. The retention of nitrogen and of sulfur per unit of DOMI were similar for each age group of sheep when the medium quality hay (M) was given. Mature sheep again incorporated more of each nutrient into wool. With the poorest quality hay (L), the weaners excreted more nitrogen and sulfur as a proportion of the amounts consumed than did the mature sheep. This resulted in a lower retention of nitrogen (-1.45 v. -0.74 g per l00g DOMI) and sulfur (-77 v. -14 mg per l00g DOMI) by the weaners. There was a lower incorporation of nitrogen into tissues per unit of metabolic liveweight by the weaners, and the mature sheep incorporated more nitrogen and sulfur into wool. The weaners grew wool less efficiently (g per l00g DOMI) than the adult sheep on all diets, the difference being greatest when the poorest quality hay was given. These results are discussed in relation to the nature of tissue energy reserves in weaner sheep.

Intake, digestion, and nitrogen and sulfur retention in Angora goats and Merino sheep fed herbage diets

1984 ◽  
Vol 24 (125) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
PT Doyle ◽  
JK Egan ◽  
AJ Thalen
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Plant Cell Wall ◽  
Nitrogen Retention ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Merino Sheep ◽  
Limiting Nutrients ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Medium Quality ◽  
Angora Goats

The voluntary intake and digestion of three pasture hays of varying quality by Angora goats was compared with that by Merino sheep. The excretion and retention of nitrogen and sulfur were also measured. When a high quality hay was given, there were no differences between goats and sheep in the intake of organic matter (68 vs 61 g/kg0.75.d) or in organic matter digestibility (digestible organic matter intake) (72 vs 7 1 %). However, the goats appeared to utilize nitrogen less efficiently than the sheep as evidenced by nitrogen retention (673 vs 794 mg/100 g digestible organic matter intake.d), and there was a tendency for sheep to use absorbed energy more efficiently for body tissue synthesis. The apparent digestion of organic matter (65 vs 57%), plant cell wall constituents (67 vs 59%), nitrogen (29 vs 19%) and sulfur (40 vs 33%) in a medium quality hay low in nitrogen was greater in goats than in sheep. There were no differences in intake, but the goats were more efficient at conserving nitrogen (nitrogen retention -87 vs -200 mg/ 100 g digestible organic matter intake.d). Similar trends occurred when a poor quality hay with a higher nitrogen content was given. Goats have apparent advantages over sheep in their ability to digest fibrous feeds and conserve limiting nutrients from such feeds. Consequently, they may require less supplementary feeding than sheep in temperate areas during late summer and autumn when animals graze mature pastures.

Estimates of the energy required for maintenance by adult sheep 2. Grazing sheep

1963 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Langlands ◽  
J. L. Corbett ◽  
I. McDonald ◽  
G. W. Reid
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Energy Cost ◽  
Functional Relationship ◽  
Adult Sheep ◽  
Maintenance Requirement ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Faecal Nitrogen ◽  
Grazing Period ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Maintenance Requirements

SUMMARYThe mean daily digestible organic matter intake (D) of each of 47 adult sheep during a grazing period of mean length 48 days was estimated by the chromium sesquioxide/faecal nitrogen technique. Mean live-weights (W) and mean daily weight gains (G) were also measured.The regression of D on W and G, and the underlying or functional relationship between D, W and G were both estimated. From the underlying relationship, the preferred equation, the maintenance requirement of a 100 lb. sheep at pasture is estimated to be 1·02 lb. digestible organic matter daily. This value is 24% higher than the corresponding value for housed sheep obtained previously by us.This result is compared with other estimates of the energy cost of grazing and it is concluded that further work is needed in order to define those circumstances which elevate the maintenance requirements of grazing animals.

An assessment of the quality of forage from its cell-wall content and amount of cell wall digested

1972 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. W. Moir
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Ammonium Oxalate ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Average Amount ◽  
Lignin Concentration ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
The Difference

SUMMARYGrasses and legumes comprising poor to good quality temperate and tropical species were fed to either cattle or sheep in 36 digestibility experiments. Cell wall in these forages was the ash-free and protein-free residue after sequential extraction with acidpepsin, organic solvents and either water for grasses or ammonium oxalate for legumes. The average amount of cell wall digested per 100 g forage OM was 40·0±0·59 g in grasses and 19·8±1·85 g in legumes. It was considered that within grasses and within legumes the physiology of ruminant digestion, rather than forage quality, was the main determinant of the average amount of cell wall digested and the difference between grasses and legumes was due to interaction of the ruminant digestion process with the physical structure of the cell wall. Of forage factors governing variation about the physiological average, the total cell wall had some effect on the amount of cell wall digested, but the lignin concentration in the cell wall had no effect.Among grasses and legumes the average, apparently undigested, protein-free non-cell-wall component was 6·2±0·13 g per 100 g forage OM. This component and digestible protein relative to total protein varied among different sets of data. It was concluded that only the component of digestible organic matter which was governed by the relative proportions of cell walls and cellular contents was predictable from chemical composition. It was considered that selection in plant breeding should be based on both digestible cell wall and cell-wall content instead of digestible organic matter.

Stimulation of wool growth by thyroxine implantation. II. Feed intake of grazing Merino wethers treated repeatedly with thyroxine.

1964 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 676 ◽  
Author(s):  
LJ Lambourne
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Maintenance Requirements ◽  
Substantial Rise ◽  
Stimulation Of

Estimates have been made of the feed intake of wethers that received implantations of 60 mg thyroxine every 3 months, and of untreated sheep, grazing together. The estimated intake of digestible organic matter (D.O.M.) by treated wethers was higher than that of controls in 24 out of 27 measurement periods. The difference in feed intake was least in the iirst month after implantation, when the treated sheep lost weight, and greatest in the second and third months when the treated sheep were regaining weight. The overall increase in intake resulting from thyroxine treatment (20–25%) was greater than the increase in wool production (7% greasy weight, 3-7 % clean weight), and the efficiency of wool production was therefore lower in thyroxinetreated wethers. From the relationships between feed intake and rate of weight change it was concluded that in the month after implantation, when pulse rates indicated a substantial rise in metabolic rate, the maintenance feed requirement was raised from about 560 g to about 780 g D.O.M. per day. Observations in two winters with recently shorn sheep gave estimates of maintenance requirements for untreated wethers ranging from 850 to 1300 g D.O.M. per day. During recovery from repeated thyroxine implantation the wethers gained in weight no more efficiently than the controls. The mechanism of action of exogenous thyroxine is discussed in the light of these and other data.

Influence of clipping regime and silage quality on the performance of pregnant and lactating ewes

1989 ◽  
Vol 1989 ◽  
pp. 55-55
Author(s):  
Heather J Black ◽  
D H B Chestnutt
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Birth Weight ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Late Pregnancy ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Silage Quality ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Additional Influence ◽  
Voluntary Food Intake

Winter clipping of breeding ewes has given variable increases in lamb birth weight associated mainly with increased ewe voluntary food intake (Rutter, Laird and Broadbent, 1972; Vipond, King, Inglis and Hunter, 1987). The requirement for energy is greatest during the last six weeks of pregnancy but increasing uterine occupation of rumen volume may limit the ewe's ability to increase intake after clipping in late pregnancy. The additional influence of forage quality on intake after clipping is not clear. The present experiment was designed to study the independent and interacting effects of clipping regime and silage quality on lambing performance.Sixty Greyface ewes of uniform age were individually penned 14 weeks before lambing. Precision chop silage offered ad libitum was either early cut [188.3 g dry matter (DM)/kg, 155.7 g crude protein (CP)/kg DM, 740 g digestible organic matter (DOM)/kg DM] or late cut (184.5 g DM/kg, 100.9 g CP/kg DM, 689 g DOM/kg DM). For all treatments concentrate feeding was introduced 7 weeks before lambing, on an increasing scale to provide a total of 21 kg/ewe. Silage type was factorially arranged with 6 clipping regimes.

Effects of duration of introductory feeding and barley content of pelleted diets on the feed intake and liveweight of export sheep

1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
MH Round
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Ad Libitum

The liveweights and feed intakes of 409 adult wethers, from 2 pastoral sources, were measured in an experiment that simulated the assembly and shipping stages of the export of live sheep. The sheep were held separately with 17 wethers per group, and were introduced in outdoor yards to pelleted diets containing 0, 25 or 50% barley for either 5 or 9 days (adaptation) during which time lucerne hay or oaten hay were also fed. The wethers were then housed in intensive indoor pens (0.33 m21wether) for 14 days and fed the pelleted diets ad libitum without hay. During indoor feeding, wethers fed pellets containing 50% barley ate less pellets than did other sheep (1127 v. 1376 g DM/day, s.e.m. = 25.2, P<0.001). They had similar intakes of digestible organic matter (DOM) (732 v. 757 g/day, s.e.m. = 15.6), but lost more liveweight than did other sheep (- 1.88 v. -0.54 kg, s.e.m. = 0.200, P< 0.001). Increasing adaptation from 5 to 9 days significantly reduced the liveweight loss of wethers fed the diets containing 0% (-1.22 v. -0.20 kg, s.e.m. =0.283, P<0.05) and 25% barley (-1.35 v. 0.63 kg, s.e.m. = 0.283, P< 0.001) but had no effect on wethers fed diets containing 50% barley. Wethers fed lucerne hay during adaptation lost less liveweight indoors than wethers fed oaten hay (-0.66 v. -1.31 kg, s.e.m. = 0.163, P<0.01). Wethers fed lucerne for 9 days tended (P< 0.06) to eat more pellets indoors than other sheep (1386 v. 1262 kg, s.e.m. = 17.9). The wethers had an estimated intake of 37.9 g digestible organic matter/kg0.75 liveweight, which greatly exceeded expected requirements for maintenance and may be partly due to stress associated with intensive housing of the wethers.

The effect of stage of maturity in sheep upon intake and digestion of roughage diets

1982 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1099 ◽  
Author(s):  
JK Egan ◽  
PT Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Cell Wall ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Particle Size Distribution ◽  
Retention Time ◽  
Subterranean Clover ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Quality Measurements

In two experiments, weaner (15-17 kg liveweight) and mature (40-45 kg) Merino wethers were fed ad libitum on three chopped hays of varying quality. Measurements were made of intake and digestion of organic matter (OM) and cell wall content (CWC), retention time of a digesta marker, and the particle size distribution of CWC recovered in the faeces. When offered subterranean clover hay (OM digestibility 70 %) the weaners consumed 19 % more OM (g/kg0.75) than did the mature wethers, but the digestibilities of OM and CWC were similar for each age group. Possible reasons for this variation in intake are discussed. Intake and digestion of OM and CWC were similar for both groups given the two poorer hay diets (OMD, 56 and 46 %), but several weaners could not be sustained for long periods on the poorer of the two diets. Implications for young sheep grazing dry pastures are discussed.

Lablab (Lablab purpureus) and lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) seeds as supplements for sheep fed low quality roughage

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
R. M. Dixon ◽  
E. S. Garcia ◽  
J. A. Domingo ◽  
J. H. G. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Synthetic Fibre ◽  
Rumen Fluid ◽  
Lupinus Angustifolius ◽  
Lablab Purpureus ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Ad Libitum

Summary. The seeds of lablab (Lablab purpureus) and lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) were investigated as supplements for young sheep. In experiment 1, rumen-cannulated sheep were offered low quality roughage ad libitum alone or supplemented with about 5, 10 or 20 g/kg liveweight whole lupin or lablab seed. Rumen ammonia concentrations were increased by each level of both supplements, and the increases were greater with lupins than with lablab. The pH of rumen fluid was decreased by both supplements, particularly when the higher levels were fed. Dry matter of broken seeds of both legume species rapidly disappeared from synthetic fibre bags incubated in the rumen. Roughage dry matter disappearance from synthetic fibre bags decreased (P<0.05) when 20 g/kg liveweight lupins was fed, and this level of both supplements reduced (P<0.05) roughage intake. Total dry matter intake was increased more by lablab than by lupins, but dry matter and organic matter digestibility tended to be increased to a lesser extent by lablab. Overall, digestible organic matter intake and liveweight gain were increased to similar extents by both supplements. Wool growth was lower (P<0.05) with lablab than lupins, particularly at the highest level of supplementation, suggesting that availability of some amino acids was lower with lablab supplement. In experiment 2, rumen-cannulated sheep were fed low quality roughage ad libitum and supplemented with about 10 g/kg liveweight of either lupin or lablab seed. Lectins and protease inhibitors present in the lablab seed disappeared rapidly from synthetic fibre bags incubated in the rumen. In conclusion the nutritional value of lablab seed as a supplement for sheep fed low quality roughage was similar to that of lupin seed for liveweight gain, but was lower for wool growth.

Estimates of the energy required for maintenance by adult sheep 1. Housed sheep

1963 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Langlands ◽  
J. L. Corbett ◽  
I. McDonald ◽  
J. D. Pullar
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Functional Relationship ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Heat Emission ◽  
Daily Weight Gain ◽  
Direct Calorimetry ◽  
Adult Sheep ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
The Mean

SUMMARYEight adult ewes were fasted for 114 hr. During the last 48 hr. the heat emission of each sheep was measured by direct calorimetry and was found to be 35·2 kcal./kg.0·87/24 hr., that is, 973 kcal./24 hr. for a sheep of 45·4 kg. (100 lb.) live-weight. From this value it is estimated that the 100 lb. sheep would require daily 0·79 lb. digestible organic matter (DOM) from pasture herbage for maintenance.In a second experiment, 49 adult sheep were kept indoors and fed on fresh herbage for a period of 72 days. Measurements were made of the mean daily DOM intake (D), mean live-weight (W) and mean daily weight gain (G) of each sheep. The regression of D on Wk and G, and the underlying or functional relationship between D, Wk and G were both estimated for k = 0·73 and k = 1·0. From the underlying relationships, the preferred equations, the maintenance requirement of a 100 lb. sheep was estimated to be 0·82 lb. DOM daily. This value and those calculated for other live-weights are approximately two-thirds of the corresponding values given in ‘Rations for Livestock’ (Evans, 1960).

Effects of substitution of barley with citrus pulp on diet digestibility and intake and production of lactating ewes offered mixed diets based on ammonia-treated barley straw

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Castrillo ◽  
A. Barrios-Urdaneta ◽  
M. Fondevila ◽  
J. Balcells ◽  
J. A. Guada
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Barley Straw ◽  
Microbial Protein ◽  
Citrus Pulp ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Lamb Growth

AbstractTwenty-eight lactating ewes (mean 48 (s.e. 0·37) kg live weight) were used from days 12 to 52 after lambing to evaluate the effects on digestibility and production performance of replacing barley grain with citrus pulp in diets based on ammonia-treated barley straw. Concentrates included 0·82 to 0·83 of different barley to citrus pulp proportions: 100: 0 (T1); 66: 33 (T2); 33: 66 (T3) and 0: 100 (T4), 0·115 of soya-bean meal, and urea to make diets isonitrogenous. Ewes were adapted to a common diet for 11 days after lambing, and then were given 850 g/day of each experimental concentrate together with 850 g/day of chopped barley straw for 14 days and milk production and lamb growth were recorded. During the following 14 days ewes received the same amount of concentrate but the straw was offered ad libitum and straw intake was recorded as well as milk production and lamb growth. After completing both periods, four ewes per treatment were used for total collections of faeces and urine. Apparent digestibility of organic matter and neutral-detergent fibre increased linearly (P < 0·05) with increasing levels of citrus pulp although no differences were found in the digestible organic matter content of dry matter of diets because of differences in ash content. Urinary excretion of allantoin and purine derivatives per unit of digestible organic matter intake tended to decrease with increasing inclusion of citrus pulp (proportionately by 0·15), suggesting a decrease in microbial protein synthesis, though this effect was not significant (P > 0·05). Faecal excretion of purine bases also decreased (P < 0·05) as citrus pulp inclusion increased. No treatment effect (P > 0·05) on ewe live weight, milk composition or serum glucose and 3–OH butyrate was observed when a 1: 1 straw to concentrate ratio was given, but milk production and lamb daily gain decreased linearly (P < 0·05) with increased proportions of citrus pulp in the concentrate. Similar responses were detected when straw was given ad libitum and differences among treatments in terms of straw intake were not identified. It is concluded that a lower microbial protein flow might explain in part the reduction in milk production observed when barley was replaced with citrus pulp.

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