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The voluntary intake and digestibility of oat straw by pregnant beef cows as influenced by urea and phosphorus supplementation contained in molassed sugar-beet pulp

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

G. Fishwick
Affiliation:
Glasgow UniversityVeterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow
J. Fraser
Affiliation:
Glasgow UniversityVeterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow
R. G. Hemingway
Affiliation:
Glasgow UniversityVeterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow
J. J. Parkins
Affiliation:
Glasgow UniversityVeterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow
N. S. Ritchie
Affiliation:
Glasgow UniversityVeterinary School, Bearsden, Glasgow

Summary

Pregnant beef heifers allowed ad libitum access to oat straw were given 2·7 kg molassed sugar-beet pulp alone or with additional dicalcium phosphate or urea or a combination of both materials in a Latin square design involving four feeding periods each of 21 days. Supplementation with urea to increase the total daily intake of digestible crude protein from about 130 to 290 g/day increased straw consumption by 20%. This increased the total intake of metabolizable energy from about 13 to 15 Meal/day. Increasing the total intake of phosphorus from about 6 to about 17 g P/day did not increase straw intake or digestibility or the total intake of metabolizable energy in either the presence or absence of additional urea.

Supplementation with urea increased the concentration of urea and glucose in the blood plasma and the concentration of ammonia in the rumen liquor, but did not increase the concentrations or alter the proportions of rumen volatile fatty acids. Addition of urea tended to increase the digestibility of the dry matter and crude fibre of the straw. Phosphorus supplementation increased the concentration of phosphorus in the blood plasma.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1974

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