The evaluation of cattle foods and diets in terms of the ruminal concentration of volatile fatty acids: II. Roughages and succulents

Abstract

Information on the effect of the inclusion of typical farm foods in the diets of cattle on the ruminal concentrations of the individual volatile fatty acids (V.F.A.'s) is limited. The most extensive investigations are those of Balch & Rowland (1957) and Shaw and his co-workers (see Shaw, 1961), which have given values for a variety of hay and concentrate diets. Few figures are available for other types of cattle foods. The present paper describes a study of the V.F.A.'s in the rumen of dairy cows given various roughages or succulent foods, including a range of herbages of different species and at different stages of growth.