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Predicting the digestibility of Sahelian roughage feeds from the crude protein content in faeces of cattle, sheep and goats using an established first-order exponential function

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2018

Eva Schlecht
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Production in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Hohenheim, D-70593 Stuttgart, Germany
Andreas Susenbeth
Affiliation:
Institute for Animal Nutrition and Physiology; University of Kiel, D-24098 Kiel, Germany
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Summary

An equation predicting organic matter digestibility (OMD) of the diet from faecal crude protein content (FCP) was established by Lukas (2002) with data from cows fed various diets based on roughage of temperate origin. The suitability of this equation to predict OMD of tropical roughages was tested with data from grazing and stall-fed cattle, sheep and goats. The correlation between measured OMD and that estimated from the average FCP of a group of animals consuming the same diet was r=0.91, and the deviation between estimated and measured values averaged 6%. Poor estimates were obtained for feeds with high biological tannin activity. Using the equation provides an easy assessment of OMD of tropical roughages that do not contain biologically traceable amounts of anti-nutrients.

Resumen

Resumen

Lukas (2002) establechió una ecuación para predecir la digestibilidad de la material orgánica (OMD) de la dieta a partir del contenido de proteína cruda fecal (FCP) con datos generados con cuatro vacas alimentadas con diverso forrajes de origen templado. La capacidad de esta ecuación para predecir la OMD de forrajes tropicales fue evaluada con datos de bovinos, ovinos y caprinos pastoreando o alimentados en corral. La correlación entre la OMD medida y la estimada a partir de la FCP promedio del grupo de animales consumiendo la misma dieta fue de r=0.91, y la desviación entre los valores estimados y medidos fue en promedio de 6%. Se obtuvieron estimados pobres con alimentos con alta actividad biológica de taninos. El uso de la qcuación prove de un estimación facil de la OMD de forrajes tropicales que no contengan cantidades medibles biológicamente de anti nutrientes.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2006

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References

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