Comparison of sheep and red deer rumen fluids for assessing nutritive value of ruminant feedstuffs

Four forages (alfalfa hay, barley straw, maize silage and beet pulp), four cereal grains (barley, maize, sorghum and wheat) and four shrubs (Calluna vulgaris, Erica australis, Cytisus cantabricus and Genista occidentalis) were incubated using rumen fluids from sheep and red deer, to examine differences in in vitro fermentation rates and ruminal parameters. For the forages and cereal grains, results suggest few differences between species in parameters related to gas production, rates of fermentation, organic matter disappearance and extent of degradation. Deer showed slightly better results for shrubs than sheep did. Disappearance of neutral detergent fibre was generally greater when the rumen fluid was derived from red deer (P < 0.05). On the other hand, ammonia-N concentration and total volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were higher in sheep (P < 0.05). Molar proportions of the major VFAs showed significant differences (P < 0.05) associated with the species of the inoculum donor and suggest that fermentation pathways might have been more efficient in red deer. The estimated amount of methane was higher in sheep, regardless of the substrate incubated (P < 0.001). The results indicate that although the sheep could be valid as a model to assess the nutritive value of good quality feedstuffs for red deer, it would fail to offer reliable information on non-conventional, low-quality feeds such as shrubs. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry

[1]  Á. R. Mantecón,et al.  Comparison of in vitro digestibility of feedstuffs using rumen inoculum from sheep or red deer , 2004 .

[2]  H. Makkar,et al.  Effects and fate of tannins in ruminant animals, adaptation to tannins, and strategies to overcome detrimental effects of feeding tannin-rich feeds , 2003 .

[3]  I. Gordon,et al.  The influence of adaptation of rumen microflora on in vitro digestion of different forages by sheep and red deer , 2002 .

[4]  F. Giráldez,et al.  Condensed tannin content of several shrub species from a mountain area in northern Spain, and its relationship to various indicators of nutritive value , 2002 .

[5]  V. Fievez,et al.  RUMINANTS ET ENVIRONNEMENT: LA METHANOGENESE , 2000 .

[6]  J. Dijkstra,et al.  Estimating the extent of degradation of ruminant feeds from a description of their gas production profiles observed in vitro: derivation of models and other mathematical considerations. , 2000, The British journal of nutrition.

[7]  A. Duncan,et al.  Rates of oxalic acid degradation in the rumen of sheep and goats in response to different levels of oxalic acid administration , 1997 .

[8]  K. Becker,et al.  In vitro gas production: a technique revisited , 1997 .

[9]  C. Seal,et al.  Metabolic implications of ammonia production in the ruminant , 1995, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society.

[10]  M. Theodorou,et al.  A simple gas production method using a pressure transducer to determine the fermentation kinetics of ruminant feeds. , 1994 .

[11]  A. Shkolnik,et al.  Comparison of rate of passage, fermentation rate and efficiency of digestion of high fiber diet in desert Bedouin goats compared to Swiss Saanen Goats , 1993 .

[12]  K. Stafford,et al.  Gas production and nitrogen digestion by rumen microbes from deer and sheep , 1993 .

[13]  M. V. Houtert,et al.  The production and metabolism of volatile fatty acids by ruminants fed roughages: a review , 1993 .

[14]  A. Pell,et al.  Computerized monitoring of gas production to measure forage digestion in vitro. , 1993, Journal of dairy science.

[15]  P. V. Soest,et al.  Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. , 1991, Journal of dairy science.

[16]  J. Jouany,et al.  Comparison of microbial activity in the forestomachs of the dromedary and the sheep measured in vitro and in sacco on mediterranean roughages , 1991 .

[17]  A. Hagerman,et al.  Tannin-binding proteins in saliva of deer and their absence in saliva of sheep and cattle , 1989, Journal of Chemical Ecology.

[18]  L. Varner,et al.  In Vitro Digestibility of South Texas Range Plants Using Inoculum from Four Ruminant Species. , 1982 .

[19]  J. Milne,et al.  A comparison of the voluntary intake and digestion of a range of forages at different times of the year by the sheep and the red deer (Cervus elaphus) , 1978, British Journal of Nutrition.

[20]  A. Mehrez,et al.  Rates of rumen fermentation in relation to ammonia concentration , 1977, British Journal of Nutrition.

[21]  L. Satter,et al.  Effect of ammonia concentration on rumen microbial protein production in vitro , 1974, British Journal of Nutrition.

[22]  M. W. Weatherburn.  Phenol-hypochlorite reaction for determination of ammonia , 1967 .

[23]  P. Glatz,et al.  Comparison of the digestibility of grain and forage by sheep, red and fallow deer , 2002 .

[24]  G. Huntington,et al.  Practical aspects of urea and ammonia metabolism in ruminants , 2000 .

[25]  S. López,et al.  Effect of nitrogen form (casein and urea) on the in vitro degradation of cell walls from six forages , 1999 .

[26]  P. Wilson,et al.  Comparative digestion in deer, goats, and sheep , 1991 .

[27]  P. Wilson,et al.  Comparative nutrition of deer and goats, goats and sheep. , 1990 .

[28]  W. C. Ellis,et al.  Dynamics of digestion in cattle, sheep, goats and deer. , 1986, Journal of animal science.

[29]  J. Milne.  Comparative digestive physiology and metabolism of the red deer and the sheep. , 1980 .

[30]  R. Summers,et al.  Rumen micro-organisms in red deer, hill sheep and reindeer in the scottish highlands. , 1976, Proceedings - Royal Society of Edinburgh. Section B: Natural environment.