1. In a study spanning two breeding seasons, we assessed the effect of different dietary energy and protein levels on body mass, body condition, and egg production of female ostriches. 2. During the first breeding season, groups were given diets with energy concentrations of 8 . 5, 9 . 5 and 10 . 5 MJ/kg dry mass (DM) metabolisable energy (ME) and protein concentrations of 135, 150 and 165 g/kg. In the second breeding season, groups were given diets with ME of 7 . 5, 8 . 5 and 9 . 5 MJ/kg and protein contents of 105, 120 and 135 g/kg. 3. Body mass of birds on diets of 7 . 5 and 8 . 5 MJ/kg ME decreased significantly in the course of the breeding season compared with birds fed on diets with higher energy contents and body measurements decreased, suggesting a loss of body condition. 4. Females fed on diets containing only 7 . 5 MJ/kg ME produced significantly fewer eggs at significantly longer intervals, resulting in fewer chicks hatched. 5. There was no significant difference in egg mass, initial chick mass, chick survival to one month of age and body mass of chicks at one month. 6. Dietary protein concentrations had no effect on egg production, egg mass, hatchability, initial chick mass, chick survival or chick mass at one month old. 7. The female ostriches regained their original body mass during the 4-month rest period between breeding seasons, but significant differences in some parameters during the second breeding season suggest that they may not have fully recovered their body condition. 8. A dietary energy content of 7 . 5 MJ/kg proved to have an adverse effect on egg production by breeding female ostriches, and it may be concluded from this study that a diet containing 8 . 5 MJ ME/kg DM and 105 g/kg protein should be regarded as the minimum that can be used for breeding female ostriches without compromising egg production.

Grain samples were produced at 10 different locations in the Western Cape region of South Africa, on 2.1 m x 6 m experimental plots, over a period of three years. Twenty different cereal grain cultivars were used in the study. A randomised square experimental design with four replicates per sample was used. An area of 1.35 m x 5 m from each plot was harvested during 1994, 1995 and 1996 and the yield was determined. Thousand seed mass (TSM) and hectolitre mass (HLM) were also determined. Samples were analysed for dry matter (DM), ash, crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD). Digestible energy values (DE) for pigs were determined with a mobile nylon bag technique, while non-structural carbohydrate values (NSC) were calculated. In the first analysis, cultivars were compared by a one-way analysis of variance, followed by pooling of grain type data. Naked oats had the highest DE value, and the respective values (DM basis) for naked oats, wheat, triticale, 2-row brewer's barley, 6-row feed barley and oats were 18.0, 16.0, 15.8, 14.9, 14.4, and 12.6 MJ/kg DM. The high EE value of naked oats (97 g/kg) might be partly responsible for the high DE value. The 6-row and 2-row naked barley cultivars had the highest IVOMD (946 g/kg and 944 g/kg), followed by wheat (910 g/kg), triticale (905 g/kg), naked oats (899 g/kg), 2-row brewer's barley (882 g/kg), 6-row feed barley (844 g/kg) and oats (671 g/kg). Considerable variation was found between samples within a cultivar for DE and IVOMD. Two-row naked barley had the highest mean CP value (159 g/kg) followed by naked oats (159 g/kg), 6-row naked barley (154 g/kg), wheat (148 g/kg), triticale (146 g/kg), oats (143 g/kg), 2-row brewer's barley (136 g/kg) and 6-row feed barley (135 g/kg) on DM basis. Triticale had the highest yield, with naked oats and barley cultivars having the lowest yield.

No abstract

Samples of sweet yellow lupins (Lupinus luteus; n = 4), broad leaf lupins (Lupinus albus; n = 12), narrow leaf lupins (Lupinus angustifolius; n = 8), faba beans (Vicia faba; n = 2), field peas (Pisum sativum; n = 4) and narbon beans (Vicia narbonensis; n = 2) were collected over a two-year period. The physical characteristics (thousand seed and hectolitre mass), chemical composition (dry matter, ash, crude protein (CP), ether extract, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre and mineral content), energy values (nitrogen corrected true metabolisable energy content (TMEn for roosters)) as well as the lysine and methionine availability (with roosters) of the samples were determined. Lupinus albus had the highest TMEn (12.49 MJ/kg), followed by field peas (11.35 MJ/kg) and narbon beans (11.25 MJ/kg), faba beans (10.90 MJ/kg), L. angustifolius (10.46 MJ/kg) and L. luteus (10.20 MJ/kg). Lupinus luteus had the highest CP concentration (393.6 g/kg) followed by L. albus (381.9 g/kg), L. angustifolius (338.9 g/kg), faba beans (260.0 g/kg), field peas (247.4 g/kg) and narbon beans (237.6 g/kg) (values on a dry matter basis). Lupinus luteus had the highest lysine concentration (22.2 g/kg), followed by L. albus (19.6 g/kg), field peas (19.3 g/kg), L. angustifolius (18.6 g/kg), narbon beans (17.5 g/kg) and faba beans (17.0 g/kg).