Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-21T07:59:21.388Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Faecal N excretion as an approach for estimating organic matter intake by free-ranging sheep and cattle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2018

G. V. Kozloski ,
E. M. C. Zilio ,
F. Ongarato ,
B. C. Kuinchtner Open the ORCID record for B. C. Kuinchtner [Opens in a new window] ,
A. G. Saccol ,
T. C. M. Genro ,
L. Oliveira ,
B. M. Faria ,
I. M. Cezimbra  and
F. L. F. Quadros
G. V. Kozloski*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
E. M. C. Zilio
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
F. Ongarato
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
B. C. Kuinchtner
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
A. G. Saccol
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
T. C. M. Genro
Affiliation:
EmpresaBrasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Centro de Pesquisa Pecuária Sul, Bagé, RS 62010-970, Brazil
L. Oliveira
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 91540-000, Brazil
B. M. Faria
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 91540-000, Brazil
I. M. Cezimbra
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS 91540-000, Brazil
F. L. F. Quadros
Affiliation:
Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
*
Author for correspondence: G.V. Kozloski, E-mail: gilberto.kozloski@ufsm.br
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The current study aimed to test whether organic matter intake by free-ranging ruminants could be estimated from the amount of nitrogen (N) excreted in faeces and to compare this approach to conventional techniques. An equation describing the relationship between excreted N and nutrient intake was developed in indoor digestibility trials conducted with male sheep (n = 36) and cattle (n = 24) housed in metabolism cages and solely fed hay harvested from a local rangeland. Faecal N excretion was linearly related to organic matter (OM) intake without a significant animal species effect. To evaluate the linear equation, data from free-ranging trials conducted with sheep and cattle were used. The faecal N approach was compared with either in situ digestibility plus external marker (n = 123) or n-alkanes (n = 272) to estimate OM intake and digestible OM intake. Estimates obtained through the faecal N approach did not closely fit those obtained with either conventional technique for any variable. Averaging all individual values, the supply of metabolizable energy (ME) estimated through faecal N was similar to the required level, whereas both the in situ and n-alkanes techniques overestimated ME supply. In conclusion, OM intake by free-ranging sheep and cattle can be estimated based on the amount of N excreted in faeces with some advantages over conventional techniques: knowledge about herbage attributes is not required and it accounts for individual variability on selectivity and digestion processes.

Keywords

Cattleintakepasturesheeptechniques
Type
Animal Research Paper
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 156 , Issue 3 , April 2018 , pp. 443 - 449
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aguerre, M, Cajarville, C, Kozloski, GV and Repetto, JL (2013) Intake and digestive responses by ruminants fed fresh temperate pasture supplemented with increased levels of sorghum grain: A comparison between cattle and sheep. Animal Feed Science and Technology 186, 12–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
AOAC (1997) Official Methods of Analysis. 16th ed. 3rd revision. Gaithersburg, MD, USA: Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Inc.Google Scholar
Azevedo, EB, Poli, CHEC, David, DB, Amaral, GA, Fonseca, L, Carvalho, PCF, Fischer, V and Morris, ST (2014) Use of faecal components as markers to estimate intake and digestibility of grazing sheep. Livestock Science 165, 42–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bilenca, D and Miñarro, F (2004) Identificación de Áreas Valiosas de Pastizal (AVPs) en las Pampas y Campos de Argentina, Uruguay y sur de Brasil. Buenos Aires, Argentina: Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina.Google Scholar
Bonnet, OJF, Meuret, M, Tischler, MR, Cezimbra, IM, Azambuja, JCR and Carvalho, PCF (2015) Continuous bite monitoring: a method to assess the foraging dynamics of herbivores in natural grazing conditions. Animal Production Science 55, 339–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cannas, A, Tedeschi, LO, Fox, DG, Pell, AN and Van Soest, PJ (2004) A mechanistic model for predicting the nutrient requirements and feed biological values for sheep. Journal of Animal Science 82, 149–169.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cezimbra, IM (2015) Emissão de metano por bovinos sob níveis de oferta de forragem em pastagem nativa do Bioma Pampa. PhD thesis, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.Google Scholar
Czarnocki, J, Sibbald, IR and Evans, EV (1961) The determination of chromic oxide in samples of feed and excreta by acid digestion and spectrophotometry. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 4, 167–179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
David, DB, Poli, CHEC, Savian, JV, Amaral, GA, Azevedo, EB, Carvalho, PCF and McManus, CM (2014) Faecal index to estimate intake and digestibility in grazing sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 152, 667–674.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Boever, JL, Andries, JI, De Brabander, DL, Cottyn, BG and Buysse, FX (1990) Chewing activity of ruminants as a measure of physical structure — A review of factors affecting it. Animal feed Science and Technology 27, 281–291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De-Stefani Aguiar, A, Forbes, TDA, Rouquette, FM, Tedeschi, LO and Randel, RD (2013) Evaluating the statistical variation in estimating forage dry matter intake of grazing Brahman bulls using n-alkanes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 151, 129–140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dermarquilly, C, Chenost, M, Aubry, J, Chevalier, D and Chenost, MJ (1969) Étude de la digestion des fourrages dans le rumen par la méthode des sachets de nylon; liaisons avec la valeur alimentaire. Annales de Zootechnie 18, 419–430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dove, H and Mayes, RW (1996) Plant wax components: a new approach to estimating intake and diet composition in herbivores. Journal of Nutrition 126, 13–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dove, H and Mayes, RW (2006) Protocol for the analysis of n-alkanes and other plant-wax compounds and for their use as markers for quantifying the nutrient supply of large mammalian herbivores. National Protocols 1, 1680–1697.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Faria, BM (2015) Emissão de metano e comportamento ingestivo de bovinos de corte em pastagem natura-l com diferentes níveis de intensificação. PhD thesis, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.Google Scholar
Fox, DG, Tedeschi, LO, Tylutki, TP, Russell, JB, Van Amburgh, ME, Chase, LE, Pell, AN and Overton, TR (2004) The Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System model for evaluating herd nutrition and nutrient excretion. Animal Feed Science and Technology 112, 29–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keli, A, Olmos, G, Veja, A and Guada, JA (2013) Net transfer of nutrients to the duodenum and disappearance of n-alkanes in the reticulo-rumen and the hindgut of sheep fed grass/legume combinations. British Journal of Nutrition 109, 1765–1778.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kozloski, GV, Oliveira, L, Poli, CHEC, Azevedo, EB, David, DB, Ribeiro Filho, HMN and Collet, SGJ (2014) Faecal nitrogen excretion as an approach to estimate forage intake of wethers. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 98, 659–666.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kuinchtner, BC (2016) Manejo de pastagem natural em pastoreio rotativo utilizando duas somas térmicas como intervalo de descanso. PhD thesis, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.Google Scholar
Lancaster, RJ (1949) Estimation of digestibility of grazed pasture from faeces nitrogen. Nature 163, 330–331.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mayes, RW and Lamb, CS (1984) The possible use of n-alkanes in herbage as indigestible faecal markers. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 43, 39A.Google Scholar
Morais, JAS, Berchielli, TT, Veja, A, Queiroz, MFS, Keli, A, Reis, RA, Bertipaglia, LMA and Souza, SF (2011) The validity of n-alkanes to estimate intake and digestibility in Nellore beef cattle fed a tropical grass (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu). Livestock Science 135, 184–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ohajuruka, OA and Palmquist, DL (1991) Evaluation of n-alkanes as digesta markers in dairy cows. Journal of Animal Science 69, 1726–1732.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Orr, RJ, Tozer, KN, Griffith, BA, Champion, RA, Cook, JE and Rutter, SM (2012) Foraging paths through vegetation patches for beef cattle in semi-natural pastures. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 141, 1–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peripolli, V, Prates, ER, Barcellos, JOJ and Neto, JB (2011) Fecal nitrogen to estimate intake and digestibility in grazing ruminants. Animal Feed Science and Technology 163, 170–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peyraud, JL (1997) Techniques for measuring herbage intake of grazing ruminants: a review. In Spörndly, E, Burstedt, E and Murphy, M (eds). Managing High Yielding Dairy Cows at Pasture. Uppsala, Sweden: SLU, pp. 3–23.Google Scholar
Provenza, FD, Gregorini, P and Carvalho, PCF (2015) Synthesis: foraging decisions link plants, herbivores and human beings. Animal Production Science 55, 411–425.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saccol, AGF (2015) Sheep meat production in different feeding systems. PhD thesis, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil.Google Scholar
SAS (2002) SAS User's Guide Statistics, Version 9.1. Cary, NC, USA: SAS Institute Inc.Google Scholar
Tedeschi, LO, Cannas, A and Fox, DG (2010) A nutrition mathematical model to account for dietary supply and requirements of energy and other nutrients for domesticated small ruminants: the development and evaluation of the Small Ruminant Nutrition System. Small Ruminant Research 89, 174–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Soest, PJ (1994) Nutritional Ecology of the Ruminant, 2nd Edn. New York, USA: Cornell University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, CJ, Tas, BM, Glindemann, T, Rave, G, Schmidt, L, Weißbach, F and Susenbeth, A (2009) Fecal crude protein content as an estimate for the digestibility of forage in grazing sheep. Animal Feed Science and Technology 149, 199–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar