The Digestion of Cellulose by Sheep the Extent of Cellulose Digestion at Successive Levels of the Alimentary Tract

Abstract

1. Lignin, as determined in these experiments, has been shown to be undigested by sheep. 2. Examination of cellulose-lignin ratios in the fodder, and in material taken from successive levels of the alimentary tracts of sheep indicated that 70% of the digestible cellulose of the fodder was broken down in the rumen, 17% in the caecum, and 13% in the colon. No digestion of cellulose occurred in the abomasum, or in the small intestine.