Effects of physical form of diet on nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation, rumination

Effects of physical form of diet on nutrient

digestibility, rumen fermentation,

rumination,growth performance and protozoa

population of finishing lambs

Elham Karimizadeh;Morteza Chaji;Tahereh Mohammadabadi;

【期刊名称】《动物营养：英文版》 【年(卷),期】2017(000)002

【摘要】This study was conducted to compare effects of 3 physical forms of feed including mash(diet 1), pellet(diet 2) and complete feed block(CFB; diet 3) on digestion, fermentation and performance of lambs.Twenty-one lambs with an initial average body weight of 26 ± 2.5 kg and 6 ± 1.5 months of age were assigned through a completely randomized design to 3 treatments and 7 replicates. The experimental treatments had the same formulation. The results of present experiment showed that CFB significantly increased feed intake and nutrient digestibility(P < 0.05). There was no significant difference among the diets for rumen fluid pH, blood glucose, concentration of volatile fatty acids(P > 0.05), except acetic acid(P < 0.05). The rumen ammonia nitrogen(NH3-N), mixed rumen protozoa population(RPP), Entodiniums spp., Epidiniums spp., blood urea nitrogen(BUN) concentration, rumination time adjusted for dry matter(DM), neutral detergent fiber(NDF), acid detergent fiber(ADF) intake, and total body weight gain