Herbage quality and physical breakdown in the foregut of sheep
G. Moseley
Welsh Plant Breeding Station, Aberystwyth, Dyfed. U.K.
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.
1981, 41: 142-151
The physical breakdown of white clover and perennial ryegrass in
the foregut was studied in 6 mature wether sheep. Animals were fed once
daily and total rumen contents were serially sampled over 24 hours.
Disappearance of dry matter from the rumen was 10 times faster during
the 3 hours following ingestion, when 60% of the DM intake disappeared,
than during the between-meal periods. The proportion of DM intake lost
as particles was greater for clover (57%) than for grass (49%) during
this period. Changes in the particle size spectrum showed that most
breakdown occurred during the eating period and that the total amount of
small particle material in the rumen remained relatively constant. The
results indicated significant differences in the processing of clover
and grass in the foregut which appeared to be associated with anatomical
characteristics of the plants.
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
Last Updated 12-09-1998
