Digestion of concentrates in sheep

Abstract

1. In one experiment according to a latin square design five sheep with fistulas in the abomasum and terminal ileum were given diets based on barley. Five diets were compared, one without protein supplementation, two with different levels of fish meal and two with combinations of fish meal and urea.2. The amount of non-ammonia crude protein passing through the abomasum and removed from the small intestine increased linearly with fish-meal supplementation but the only effect of supplementation with urea was to increase the crude protein removed before the abomasum. It was concluded that urea did not appear to have a sparing effect on the degradation of dietary protein.3. Seventy-eight lambs were used in a second experiment. They were given thirteen diets made up from a basal barley diet and different combinations of fish meal and urea.4. Digestibility of organic matter and efficiency of food conversion increased with each level of fish-meal supplementation. The effects of urea supplementation on organic matter digestibility and efficiency of food conversion depended upon the level of fish meal in the diet and at the highest level of fish-meal supplementation there were no effects.5. The maximum digestibility of organic matter (about 820 g/kg) could be achieved both with urea alone and fish meal alone and was attained at a lower level of nitrogen in the diet with urea. In contrast, the maximum food conversion efficiency that could be achieved with a fish-meal supplement was much greater than could be obtained with a supplement of urea alone.