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Effect of particle size and partial replacement of alfalfa hay by soya bean hulls on nutrient intake, total tract digestibility and rumen degradability of diets by Holstein steers
Author(s) -
Behgar M.,
Valizadeh R.,
Naserian A. A.,
Ghasemi S.,
Vahmani P.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.651
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1439-0396
pISSN - 0931-2439
DOI - 10.1111/jpn.12632
Subject(s) - hay , rumen , agronomy , soya bean , alfalfa hay , nutrient , zoology , biology , chemistry , food science , fermentation , ecology
Summary This study examined the effect of alfalfa hay ( AH ) particle size and the replacement of soya bean hull ( SH ) for AH within the diet of restricted fed Holstein steers on dry matter intake ( DMI ), total tract digestion, ruminal digestion, ruminal pH and ammonia nitrogen content, and faecal pH . Four rumen‐cannulated Holstein steers averaging 353 ± 9.6 kg of BW were assigned to a 4 × 4 Latin square experiment with four periods and a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factor A was AH particle size (fine vs. coarse) and factor B was diet SH content (0% vs. 10%; substituted for AH ). Steers were fed at 1% of body weight of TMR containing 400 g/kg forage and 600 g/kg concentrate. Chopping of AH to fine particles decreased (p = 0.01) amount of dietary materials retained on the medium sieve (8 mm). The inclusion of SH significantly increased (p = 0.01) materials retained on the 1.18‐mm sieve and tended to decrease (p = 0.07) materials on 19‐mm sieves. The inclusion of SH increased (p = 0.01) ether extract ( EE ) intake and increased (p = 0.07) DMI . Inclusion of SH increased (p = 0.01) EE digestion and decreased (p < 0.01) faecal pH . Neither AH particle size nor SH inclusion in diets affected (p > 0.10) the in situ ruminal degradability coefficients of DM (‘ a ’, ‘ b ’, ‘ c ’ or ‘a+b ’). No interaction of AH × SH was seen on nutrient intake, digestibility and in situ ruminal degradability of Holstein steers.