Effect of ensilation of lucerne on voluntary intake, digestibility, and eating and rumination behaviour in sheep

Etheridge, MO; Stockdale, CR; Cranwell, PD

doi:10.1071/ea9920315

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Higher intakes on red clover silage compared with grass silage have also been reported for cattle, and linked to higher rates of liveweight gain in steers (Thomas et al ., 1981) and higher yields of milk, milk protein and milk lactose in dairy cattle (Thomas et al ., 1985). The voluntary intakes recorded for lambs offered the lucerne silages were higher than those previously recorded for precision‐chop (Etheridge et al ., 1992) and direct‐cut (Merchen et al ., 1986) silages prepared from this crop. Previous experiments with lambs grazing fresh pasture have found intakes to be significantly lower on lotus than lucerne, if feeding allowances are restricted (Wang et al ., 1996a), but higher compared with lucerne when pasture allowances enable ad libitum feeding (Douglas et al ., 1995).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The DOMD values for the lucerne silages from the current study were similar to the DMD value recorded by Merchen et al . (1986) for direct‐cut lucerne silage, but lower than the DMD value recorded by Etheridge et al . (1992).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, despite the central role that forage legumes, such as red clover ( Trifolium pratense ), lucerne ( Medicago sativa ), lotus (or birdsfoot trefoil) ( Lotus corniculatus ) and sainfoin ( Onobrychis viciifolia ), play in the livestock production systems of a number of countries, and the growing awareness of the contribution that they could make to UK agriculture, there are few accounts to be found in the literature of experiments with conserved legumes. Results from a limited number of experiments with cattle (Castle and Watson, 1974; Thomas et al ., 1981; 1985) and sheep (Etheridge et al ., 1992; 1993; Narasimhalu and Sanderson, 1994) offered ensiled red clover or lucerne have been reported, but published research with sainfoin and lotus has concentrated on ewes and/or lambs grazing fresh pasture (Karnezos and Matches, 1991; Karnezos et al ., 1994; Douglas et al ., 1995; Wang et al ., 1996a;b). Studies which directly compare the feeding value of different forage legumes grown under similar conditions are rare, and almost all compare only two forages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Voluntary intake, digestibility and nitrogen utilization by sheep fed ensiled forage legumes

Fraser

Fychan

Jones

2000

Grass and Forage Science

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An experiment was conducted to compare the nutritive value of a range of ensiled forage legumes. Silages were prepared from late second‐cut lotus (Lotus corniculatus), first‐cut sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) and both early and late second‐cut red clover (Trifolium pratense) and lucerne (Medicago sativa). Each experimental silage was offered to six Suffolk‐cross wether lambs, aged 10 months, housed in metabolism crates. Voluntary intakes of dry matter ranged from 71 to 81 g kg−1 liveweight0·75 d−1. Voluntary intakes were similar on the lotus, sainfoin and late‐cut red clover silages, but the voluntary intake on the lotus silage was significantly higher than that on the lucerne silages and early‐cut red clover silage. Digestibility of organic matter in the dry matter was highest for the lotus silage (0·650), and lowest for the sainfoin silage (0·527). Although most of the N in the sainfoin silage appeared to be in an indigestible form, N digestibility was approximately 0·70 for the other legume silages. The highest loss of N in urine, 0·75 of N intake, was recorded for lambs offered the lucerne silage. Differences in N intake, N loss in faeces and N loss in urine led to statistically significant differences in the amount of N retained, with the highest and lowest N balances recorded for the lotus (16 g N d−1) and sainfoin (−2 g N d−1) silages respectively. The results confirm that these high protein forages have high intake potential. While low N digestibility appears to limit the nutritional value of sainfoin, further research could formulate feeding strategies that improve the efficiency with which the protein from red clover, lucerne and lotus is utilized.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Voluntary intake, digestibility and nitrogen utilization by sheep fed ensiled forage legumes

Fraser

Fychan

Jones

2000

Grass and Forage Science

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Effects of ensiled forage legumes on performance of store finishing lambs

Speijers¹,

Fraser²,

Theobald³

et al. 2005

Animal Feed Science and Technology

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The effects of grass preservation on intake, apparent digestibility and rumen degradation characteristics

Cushnahan¹,

Gordon²

1995

Anim. Sci.

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A study xoas carried out to examine the effects of method of grass conservation on intake and apparent digestibility by sheep and rate of degradation in the rumen of cattle. Thirty-six hoggets were arranged in a three-period partial change-over design involving nine treatments. The treatments consisted of fresh herbage or herbage from the same pasture which was ensiled for 2, 4, 7, 10, 20 and 41 days in round bales or herbage from the same pasture conserved as hay or ensiled in a bunker silo for 51 days. In addition the rate of dry-matter disappearance in the rumen for each treatment was determined using three rumen fistulated steers. The fresh and ensiled treatments had been frozen prior to feeding. Results from the study showed that the dry-matter intakes, corrected for losses of volatile compounds, of material ensiled in round bales, was increasingly depressed with period of ensiling up to 20 days after ensiling. Intakes of digestible energy followed a similar trend. Regression analysis indicated that reductions in intake with ensiling were mainly due to increases in ammonia N and n-butyric acid concentration, while changes in pH, water-soluble carbohydrate and acetic acid concentration also influenced intake. The differences in intakes of dry matter and digestible energy between fresh herbage and herbage from the bunker silo were not significant. The ensiling of herbage in round bales had little effect on organic matter apparent digestibility but led to an increase in nitrogen apparent digestibility and effective degradability when calculated at rumen outflow rates of 0-05 per h and 0-08 per h. Conservation of grass as hay led to a reduction in the intake, apparent digestibility and effective degradability of dry matter.

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Effect of ensilation of lucerne on voluntary intake, digestibility, and eating and rumination behaviour in sheep

Cited by 5 publications

References 19 publications

Voluntary intake, digestibility and nitrogen utilization by sheep fed ensiled forage legumes

Voluntary intake, digestibility and nitrogen utilization by sheep fed ensiled forage legumes

Effects of ensiled forage legumes on performance of store finishing lambs

The effects of grass preservation on intake, apparent digestibility and rumen degradation characteristics

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