A note on the effect of bulk density and digestibility on the voluntary intake of concentrate diets by sheep of two ages

Abstract

SUMMARYThree pelleted diets based on rolled barley, whole oats and ground oats respectively were offered ad libitum to mature wethers and growing lambs. With wethers, intakes on the whole oat diet were significantly greater than on the barley diet but digestible dry-matter intakes were not significantly different. On average, growing lambs ate significantly greater quantities of the ground oat diet and whereas digestible dry-matter intakes on the ground oat and barley diets were not significantly different, both were higher than on the whole oat diet. Examined at successive live weights, intakes on the whole oat diet were, at 15 kg, initially lower than on the barley diet but were ultimately higher at 60 kg, when there were no significant treatment differences in digestible drymatter intakes.