Sixteen rams (mean age: 13 mo; mean live weight: 40.0 ± 2.4 kg) were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design (4 rams per treatment). Diets (dry matter basis) contained 65% concentrate and 35% alfalfa hay (control diet, T1), 35% wheat straw (T2), 35% barley straw (T3) or 35% maize straw (T4). Total-tract apparent digestibility for dry matter, organic matter...

The role of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) in explaining the less efficient utilization of metabolizable energy (ME) in growing lambs fed forage rather than concentrate-based diets was investigated by feeding forage (legume-grass silage) and concentrate (whole shelled maize) diets, at isoenergetic intakes (ME basis), using five groups of lambs. One group of seven lambs was an initial slaughte...

We used 28 crossbred wether lambs to determine the effects of dietary forage:concentrate ratio and metabolizable energy intake on visceral organ growth and oxidative capacity of gut tissues in lambs. Lambs were assigned randomly to a factorial arrangement of dietary treatments consisting of pelleted diets containing either 75% orchardgrass or 75% concentrate fed once daily at either .099 or .18...

A heifer feeding trial evaluated the impact of high/low forage quality and high/low concentrate level nutrient-balanced diets on simultaneous odor and gas emissions from the manure. Gas concentration was determined using an infrared photoacoustic analyzer over a 24-hour period using a steady-state flux chamber setup containing urine:feces as-excreted from eight individual heifers. Odorous air s...

The study aimed to investigate the effects of gynosaponin on in vitro methanogenesis under different forage-concentrate ratios (F:C ratios). Experiment was conducted with two kinds of F:C ratios (F:C = 7:3 and F:C = 3:7) and gynosaponin addition (0 mg and 16 mg) in a 2×2 double factorial design. In the presence of gynosaponin, methane production and acetate concentration were significantly decr...

The transition period occurring 2 wk prepartum through 2 to 4 wk postpartum is the major risk period in the etiology of left displaced abomasum. The prepartum depression of intake and the slow postpartum increase in intake are risk factors causing lower ruminal fill, reduced forage to concentrate ratio, and increased incidence of other postpartum disorders. Uncomplicated ketosis, retained place...

Fifty-six mature Polypay ewes were used in two experiments to examine the effects of feeding a high-grain diet at a restricted intake on milk production and composition, lamb performance and out-of-season breeding. Ewes were fed either a high-grain diet (85% concentrate and 15% forage) or a high-forage diet. The high-forage diets were 68% forage and 32% concentrate in Experiment 1 and 80% forag...