Prediction of diet quality for sheep from faecal characteristics: comparison of near-infrared spectroscopy and conventional chemistry predictive models

This study evaluated the ability of equations developed from the analysis of faecal material by conventional chemistry (F.CHEM), and by near-infrared spectroscopy (F.NIRS), to predict intake and digestibility of forages fed with or without supplements. In vivo datasets were obtained using 30 sheep and 25 diets to provide 124 diet–faecal pairs, with each sheep fed four or five of the diets. The diets were five forages fed alone or with urea, molasses, cottonseed meal or sorghum grain supplements. Ninety-nine diet–faecal pairs were selected at random, but ensuring that all diets were represented and both the F.CHEM and F.NIRS prediction equations were developed from this dataset. The remaining 25 diet–faecal pairs were used as a validation dataset. Regressions for F.CHEM were developed by stepwise regression, and F.NIRS prediction equations were developed by partial least-squares regression. Prediction equations based solely on faecal analyte concentrations (F.CHEMc) had poor predictive ability, and models incorporating faecal constituent excretion rates (F.CHEMe) were the best at predicting feed constituent intakes. These models had slightly lower standard errors of prediction (SEP) for organic matter (OM) intake and digestible OM intake compared with the F.NIRS models that did not include faecal excretion rates. However, F.NIRS models had lower SEP for protein intake and OM digestibility. Good agreement between the F.CHEMe and F.NIRS methods was evident (according to the 95% limits-of-agreement test), and both predicted the reference values precisely and with small bias. Equations derived from a dataset that included representatives of all diets used in the experiment gave much better prediction of diet characteristics than those developed from a dataset constructed entirely at random. Equations for F.NIRS developed in this way successfully predicted the characteristics of diets that included forages fed alone and with the type of supplements used in tropical Australia.

Ruminal metabolism of leafy spurge in sheep and goats: A potential explanation for differential foraging on spurge by sheep, goats, and cattle

Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) is an introduced forb that is invading western rangelands. Goats (Capra hircus) readily graze the plant, but cattle (Bos tarus) generally and sheep (Ovis aries) locally appear to develop conditioned flavor aversions to leafy spurge. They either avoid the plant entirely or graze it reluctantly. We hypothesized that: (1) a diterpene diester that can occur in leafy spurge was an aversive agent, and (2) diet selection differences among ruminant species may be partly a function of differential ruminai metabolism of aversive phytochemicals, and further that cattle and sheep may be reluctant to graze leafy spurge because their ruminai microbes do not metabolize certain leafy spurge chemicals as do ruminai microbes in goats. Sheep did not develop an aversion to a novel food when its consumption was followed by an intravenous injection of ingenol 3,20-dibenzoate (P=0.34). Sheep did develop an aversion to a novel food when its intake was followed by a dose of leafy spurge fermented with sheep ruminai digesta, but not when followed by a dose of leafy spurge fermented with goat ruminai digesta (P= 0.03). This suggests that goat ruminai microbes may modify leafy spurge such that it does not elicit an aversion in sheep.

Influence of ammonia treatment and supplementation on the intake, digestibility and weight gain of sheep and cattle on barley straw diets

Three experiments of 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design were made with sheep or cattle given a basal diet of barley straw. Fish meal (FM) and unmolassed sugar-beet pulp (SBP) were given either separately or in combination as supplements to untreated (US) or ammonia-treated barley straw (AS) to form eight diets. The diets were given for 8 weeks in experiment 1 (24 sheep), 10 weeks in experiment 2 (24 steers) and 20 weeks in experiment 3 (32 steers and bulls). Urea was added to the shredded straw US and AS, to give a final concentration of 17 g nitrogen per kg dry matter (DM). n I experiments 1 and 3, both FM and SBP, given alone or in combination, significantly increased the DM and organic matter digestibility of urea-supplemented US, but not of AS. Ammonia treatment of straw given alone increased DM intake from 414 to 729 g/day in sheep and from 4·75 to 6·09 kg/day in cattle. All animals given US as the sole food lost body weight, but cattle gained weight when US was combined with either 50 g/kg FM or 15 g/kg SBP. It was necessary to combine the two supplements to achieve a significant gain in body weight of sheep. Although the diets based on AS promoted growth in all the animals, the body-weight gains achieved with US combined with 50 g/kg FM or 15 g/kg SBP were greater than those when AS was given as the sole food.

Passage and rumination of inert particles varying in size and specific gravity as determined from analysis of faecal appearance using multicompartment models

Plastic particles of defined length (2, 5 mm) and specific gravity (sp.gr. 1.10, 1.34, 1.77) were administered just before feeding into the reticulo-rumen of four cattle and four swamp buffaloes given a diet predominantly of rice straw ad lib. Simultaneously, doses of ground rice straw marked with Cr and Yb were likewise given. Plastic particles were recovered from faeces for 12 d after dosing, and divided into non-ruminated (NR) and ruminated (R) particles. Excretion data of plastic particles were interpreted using a four-pool model incorporating passage of NR (kp) and R from the reticulo-rumen, post-ruminal passage, rate of chewing (kr) and two lag times. An inverse relationship was found between kr and sp.gr. The kr was higher for 5 mm than that for 2 mm particles. In contrast, kp was greatest for particles of sp.gr. 1.34, with higher kp for 2 mm than for 5 mm particles. Rates of passage and rumination (kp, kr) were higher for buffaloes than for cattle. Rumination time was related to kr, most highly (r2 0.96) with kr of 2 mm, 1.10 sp.gr. particles. Fragmentation of 5 mm particles by rumination tended to increase the rate of passage from the rumen. Ruminal passage rates of Yb and Cr markers were poorly correlated with each other and with kp of any of the plastic markers. Reanalysis of published data from plastic particle studies supported the relationships between sp.gr., size, kp and kr. In view of the additional information (kr) obtained using plastic particles, we suggest their use may be appropriate in studies which investigate specific differences in digestive function, while being less suitable for investigating differences between diets.

Reticulo-ruminal motility in cattle (Bos indicus) and water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) fed a low quality roughage diet

1. The effect of A and B sequence contractions of the reticulo-rumen on passage rate of digesta was compared in buffaloes and cattle fed low quality rhodes grass. 2. Both species ate the same amount per unit body weight but buffaloes spent 53% more time ruminating than cattle. 3. Buffaloes had fewer A and B sequence contractions each day and the rate of these contractions during eating, ruminating and at rest were slower. 4. A larger pool of fine feed particles in the rumen of buffaloes, generated by extra ruminating activity was associated with the 30% shorter mean residence time of particulate matter in the forestomach compared with cattle. 5. It is concluded that the difference in the number and frequency of contractions between the species was insufficient to affect passage rate of digesta from the stomach.

Utilization of low-quality roughage by Bos taurus and Bos indicus cattle. 1. Rumen digestion

Six Hereford and six Brahman steers were fed ad lib. Pangola grass (Digitaria decumbens) and Spear grass (Heteropogon contortus) hay alone and supplemented with rumen-degradable nitrogen and sulphur and minerals. The rumen digestion of the two feeds was determined by reference to the disappearance of substrate from nylon bags suspended in the rumen and withdrawn after intervals ranging from 8 to 120 h. The digestion of the unsupplemented Pangola grass diet occurred more rapidly in Brahmans than in Herefords and was associated with higher rumen ammonia concentrations in Brahmans (40 v. 16 mg/l). The rumen NH3 concentrations were increased to over 100 mg/l by supplementation. The digestion rate increased in both breeds after supplementation and the breed difference disappeared. Increases in digestion rate were not achieved above NH3 concentrations of 60-80 mg/l. Spear grass, especially the cell-wall-constituent fraction, was more resistant to digestion than Pangola grass. Digestion of the unsupplemented Spear grass diet proceeded more rapidly in Brahmans than in Herefords. The digestion rate in Brahmans were similar irrespective of whether the diet was supplemented or not. Supplementation increased digestion rate in Herefords.