The ethanol industry is expanding rapidly. This expansion in production of renewable energy also increases production of by-products. These byproducts, primarily distillers grains plus solubles (DGS), are utilized very efficiently by ruminants. When the starch in corn is fermented to produce ethanol, the remaining nutrients (protein, fat, fiber) are concentrated about 3-fold. Whereas DGS is an ...

Bloat is a disorder of ruminants caused by retention of gas in the stomach. Gas is produced continuously and in large amounts in the ruminant stomach and is eliminated normaUy by the animal without difficulty. Sometimes, however, the rate of elimination falls behind the rate of production so that gas starts to accumulate in the rumino-reticulum (hereinafter called the rumen). If the disparity c...

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of roughages on the utilization of dietary nitrogen, energy and fiber by gravid swine. Water consumption, backfat depletion, pregnancy weight gain, and reproductive performance were used as response criteria. Metabolism assays, employing 18 crossbred sows (second or third parity), were initiated at days 0 (prior to breeding), 30 and 80 postcoi...

AIM The aim was to determine the chemical composition and metabolisable energy (ME) content of feedstuffs used in ruminant animals using in vitro method. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 18 feedstuffs used for ruminant feeding including cultivated non-leguminous fodders like maize, sorghum, pearl millet, and oat; leguminous fodders like cowpea and berseem; agro-industrial by-products such as ...

Four ruminally cannulated wethers (31+/-1.3kg) were used in an experiment with a 4x4 Latin square design to estimate the DM intake, apparent digestibility, nitrogen balance, rumen ammonia and microbial protein production. The sheep had ad libitum access to either Cassia rotundifolia (Cassia), Lablab purpureus (Lablab), Macroptilium atropurpureum (Siratro) or Stylosanthes guianensis (Stylo). Dry...

• Molds are filamentous (fuzzy or dusty appearing) fungi that occur in many feedstuffs, including roughages and concentrates. • Molds can infect dairy cattle, especially during stressful periods when they are immune suppressed, causing a disease referred to as mycosis. • A wide range of different molds produce poisons called mycotoxins that affect animals when they consume contaminated feeds. •...

The major cause of poor livestock productivity in tropical regions of the world is inadequate nutrition. The shortage of feed in most developing countries and the increasing cost of feed constituents entail that there is a call for to improvement feed utilization strategies in developing countries. Animal feeds and feeding practices can be enhanced by biotechnology to develop better animal nutr...

The nutritive value of leaves of four varieties of cassava - MS 6, TMS 30555, Idileruwa and TMS 30572 was evaluated based on their chemical composition and in vitro fermentation. Crude protein (CP) contents of cassava leaves ranged from 177 to 240 g/kg dry matter (DM), with TMS 30555 showing the highest CP contents. Neutral detergent fibre (NDFom) and acid detergent fibre (ADFom) contents of ca...

Crude fibers (CF) take a special place in the growing rabbit`s nutrition. In depend on their origin and composition, CF have digestibility 1725% in the roughages and up to 40-50% in the green and concentrate feeds. They are very important in the regulation of the processes of both digestibility and bacterial synthesis. The optimal CF quantity for growing rabbits is 12-15%. Alfalfa hay is prefer...

An in vitro experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Aspergillus oryzae culture (AOC) and 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)-butanoic acid (HMB) on rumen fermentation and microbial populations between different roughage sources. Two roughage sources (Chinese wild rye [CWR] vs corn silage [CS]) were assigned in a 2×3 factorial arrangement with HMB (0 or 15 mg) and AOC (0, 3, or 6 mg). Gas produ...