• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.125-136
• /
• 1992

This study was conducted to estimate the effect of dietary alfalfa meal on the contents of egg yolk cholesterol, the levels of egg yolk pigmentation and the performance of laying hens. Alfalfa meal which was alternated wheat bran was supplied 0, 3.5 and 7%, respectively. Total 192 brown laying pullets of 47 weeks old were randomly assigned to the wire cages from July 23 to October 7, 1991 for 10 weeks. The results obtained were summarized as follows ： 1. The egg production was highest at 3.5% alfalfa meal level during the entire period. But there was no significant difference among treatments. 2. Egg weight increased in treatments 3.5 and 7% alfalfa meal supplementation significantly. (P<0.01). 3. Even though there was no significant difference, the daily egg mass was the highest at 3.5% of alfalfa meal level. 4. Daily feed intake was the highest at 3.5% of alfalfa meal level. However, feed conversion rate was the lowest among treatments. 5. The feed cost per kg egg mass in the treatment of 3.5% alfalfa meal was significantly lower than the other treatments. (P<0.05). 6. Shell thickness and shell weight in terms of egg shell quality were increased as the levels of alfalfa meal were increased. But there was no significant difference among treatments. 7, The egg yolk Pigmentation was improved significantly as the level of alfalfa meal was increased (P<0.01). 8.899 yolk cholesterol contents were decreased in the treatments of 3.5 and 7% alfalfa meal supplementation compared with those in the treatment of wheat bran only(P >0.05). The results of this study indicate that 3.5% alfalfa meal level was most effective and economical in laying hen.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.25 no.10
• /
• pp.1445-1450
• /
• 2012

A study was conducted to evaluate effects of alfalfa meal on growth performance and gastrointestinal tract development of growing layer ducks to provide evidence for application of alfalfa meal in the duck industry. Two hundred and fifty-six healthy Shaoxing 7-wk old growing layer ducks were selected and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 dietary treatments based on corn and soybean meal and containing 0, 3, 6, and 9% of alfalfa meal for 8 wks. Each treatment consisted of 4 replicates of 16 ducks each. Briefly, birds were raised in separate compartments, and each compartment consisted of three parts: indoor floor house, adjacent open area and a connecting water area. The results showed: i) Growing ducks fed alfalfa meal diet were not significantly different in average daily gain, feed intake and gain-to-feed ratio from those fed no alfalfa diet (p>0.05). ii) Alfalfa meal increased the ratio crop, gizzard to live weight, caecum to live weight, the caecum index of growing ducks (p<0.05). iii) Villus height in duodenum and jejunum of growing ducks increased significantly with the increase of alfalfa meal levels (p<0.05). Crypt depth in duodenum and jejunum of growing ducks decreased significantly with the increase of alfalfa meal levels (p<0.05). This experiment showed that feeding of alfalfa meal to growing layer ducks could improve gastrointestinal tract growth and small intestinal morphology without effect on performance. This experiment provides evidence that alfalfa meal is a very valuable feedstuff for growing layer ducks.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.721-728
• /
• 2018

Objective: This experiment was conducted to determine the differences in the apparent ileal (AID) and total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients and indispensable amino acids (IAA) in high-fiber diets with wheat middlings, rice bran or alfalfa meal fed to Duroc${\times}$(Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire) (DLY) and Duroc${\times}$ (Berkshire${\times}$Jiaxing) (DBJ) growing barrows. Methods: Eighteen DLY and 18 DBJ growing barrows were randomly allotted to a $2{\times}3$ factorial arrangement involving 2 crossbreeds and 3 high-fiber diets. The experiment lasted 15 d with 10 d for diets adaptation, 3 d for feces collection and 2 d for digesta collection. Three diets were based on corn and soybean meal with 25% wheat middlings, rice bran and alfalfa meal respectively. Results: DBJ had a greater (p<0.05) AID of isoleucine, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine and valine and a lower (p<0.05) AID of methionine than DLY. The hindgut disappearance of acid detergent fiber for DBJ was greater (p<0.05) than DLY. The ATTD of gross energy, dry matter, organic matter, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in wheat middlings diet were greater (p<0.05) than in rice bran and alfalfa meal diets. The hindgut disappearance of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in wheat middlings diet or rice bran diet were the highest or lowest (p<0.05), and those of alfalfa meal diet were the middle. Barrows fed rice bran diet had a greater (p<0.05) hindgut disappearance of gross energy, dry matter and organic matter and lower hindgut disappearance of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber than barrows fed alfalfa meal diet Conclusion: DBJ growing barrows showed a significant higher digestibility of fiber in the hindgut and most IAA in the small intestine compared with DLY barrows. The digestibilities of chemical constituents and IAA were affected by the diets formulated with different fiber sources.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.4 no.2
• /
• pp.169-176
• /
• 1991

Four fibrous feedstuffs from alfalfa meal (AFM), cassava leaf meal (CLM), rubber seed meal (RSM) and leucaena meal (LM) were included in semi-purified diets for growing pig (45 kg body wt.) at 20%, to investigate the effects of these fiber sources and fractions on amino acid digestibility. Cellulose (C), a purified fiber source was included in another diet at 5% level for comparison. The barrows fitted with ileal T-cannula were used in the digestion trials with latin square design. The digestibilities of amino acids were measured at both terminal ileum and fecal level. NDF and hemicellulose content were the highest in AFM-diet whereas LM-diet had the highest ADF and lignin content. RSM-diet contained the highest crude fiber and cellulose content. The digestibilities of amino acids at ileal level were found the highest with CLM-diet, while LM-diet was the least. At fecal level, control diet and CLM-diet were the highest in amino acid digestibility while AFM-diet was the least. The digestibility of amino acids was higher at ileal than fecal level. The digestibility of arginine was not affected with fiber fractions but was found to be the most disestible across all diets. The most depressed amino acid was methionine at both levels; praline and glycine, in the dispensable amino acid group, were depressed at ileal and fecal level, respectively. Lignin did not depress amino acid digestibility in general but specifically depressed methionine, histidine, isoleucine and threonine digestibility. Cellulose content did not affect amino acid digestibility but undesirable factors might be responsible.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.20 no.6
• /
• pp.880-886
• /
• 2007

Ensiled or oven-dried green tea by-products (GTB) were evaluated in goats for their nutritive potential as protein feedstuffs based on in vitro and in vivo digestibility. To elucidate the effects of tea tannin on in vitro digestibility, polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used as a tannin binding agent. Both ensiled and dried GTB contained 31.9 to 32.6% of crude protein (CP) on a dry matter (DM) basis. Phenolics and tannins in soybean meal and alfalfa hay were low or not detected, but they were high in both ensiled and dried GTB (7.3-10.1% DM as total extractable tannins). In vitro protein digestibility in the rumen ranked: soybean meal>alfalfa hay cube>ensiled GTB = dried GTB. The protein digestibility post-ruminally of these feedstuffs showed a similar trend to that in the rumen, but the digestibility of ensiled GTB was significantly higher than that of dried GTB. Addition of PEG improved the in vitro protein digestibility of both kinds of GTB in the rumen and post-ruminally, indicating that tannins suppressed the potential protein digestibility of GTB. The increased protein digestibility by PEG addition was not significantly different between ensiled and dried GTB in the rumen, but the percentage increment of ensiled GTB was higher than dried GTB post-ruminally. In the in vivo digestibility trial, ensiled and dried GTB were offered to goats as partial substitutes for soybean meal and alfalfa hay cubes. Offering both GTB to goats as 5-10% on a DM basis did not affect nutrient digestibility, ruminal pH, volatile fatty acids, and ammonia concentration. However, the eating time of the GTB-incorporated diet was longer than that of the basal diet. It took 1.4 and 1.6 times longer than the control diet, to eat the diet completely when GTB silage was offered at 5 and 10% levels, respectively, of the total diet. These results show that ensiled and dried GTB are useful as partial substitutes for soybean meal and alfalfa hay cubes for goats with respect to nutritive value. Because of lessened palatability, it is recommended that GTB be incorporated into the diet at 5% on a DM basis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.364-365
• /
• 1989

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.28 no.10
• /
• pp.1454-1464
• /
• 2015

Four methods were adopted, including the mobile nylon bag (MNB) method, modified three-step in vitro (MTS) method, original three-step in vitro (OTS) method, and acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN) estimating method, to evaluate the intestinal digestibility of rumen undegradable protein (DRUP) of 10 types of concentrates and 7 types of roughages. After correlation analysis to determine the DRUP values using the MNB, MTS, OTS, and ADIN methods, the study aimed to find out appropriate methods to replace the MNB method due to its disadvantages such as high price, long time period, and use of a duodenal T-fistula. Three dairy cows with a permanent ruminal fistula and duodenal T-fistula were used in a single-factor experimental design. The results showed that the determined DRUP values using the MNB method for soybean meal, cottonseed meal, rapeseed meal, sunflower meal, corn germ meal, corn, rice bran, barley, wheat bran, corn fiber feed, Alfalfa (Zhao dong), Alfalfa (Long mu 801), Alfalfa (Long mu 803), grass (North), Grass (Inner Mongolia), corn silage and corn straw were 98.13%, 87.37%, 88.47%, 82.60%, 75.40%, 93.23%, 69.27%, 91.27%, 72.37%, 79.03%, 66.72%, 68.64%, 73.57%, 50.47%, 51.52%, 54.05%, and 43.84%, respectively. The coefficient of determination ($R^2=0.964$) of the results between the MTS method and the MNB method was higher than that ($R^2=0.942$) between the OTS method and the MNB method. The coefficient of determination of the DRUP values of the concentrates among the in vitro method (including the MTS and OTS methods) and the MNB method was higher than that of the roughage. There was a weak correlation between the determined DRUP values in concentrates obtained from the ADIN method and those from the MNB method, and there was a significant correlation (p<0.01) between the determined DRUP values of the roughage obtained from the MNB method and those obtained from ADIN method. The DRUP values were significantly correlated with the nutritional ingredients of the feeds. The regression equation was DRUP =100.5566+0.4169CP - 0.4344SP - 0.7102NDF - 0.7950EE ($R^2=0.8668$, p<0.01; CP, crude protein; SP, soluble protein; NDF, neutral detergent fiber; EE, ether extract). It was concluded that both the MTS method and the OTS may suitable to replace the MNB method for determining the DRUP values and the former method was more effective. Only the ADIN method could be used to predict the values of the roughages but conventional nutritional ingredients were available for all of the samples' DRUP.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.4 no.3
• /
• pp.211-218
• /
• 1991

The effects of dietary fiber on true digestibility of amino acids by growing pigs were studied, using semi-purified diets formulated from alfalfa meal, cassava leaf meal, rubber seed meal and leucacna meal at 20% level. A protein-free diet including 5% cellulose was formulated for correcting the endogenous amino acid loss. Across all the diets, arginine was the most digestible while the least at ileal level was threonine; methionine and/or histidine at fecal level respectively. The true digestibility value of amino acids at ileal level were higher than at fecal level except control diet (cellulose). The true digestibility values at ileal level were similar for all diets but differed at fecal level in different magnitude. These results indicate that undigestible compound in individual feedstuff might confound. True digestibility should be studied together for accurate diet formulation as apparent digestibility decreased when their amino acid concentration in the diet was reduced.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.9 no.5
• /
• pp.539-550
• /
• 1996

Experiment was conducted to study the effect of sources of dietary fiber on the intestinal morphology of geese. Sixty white Roman geese of two-week-old were divided randomly into six groups and were fed with isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets which contain alfalfa meal, barley hull, rice hull, purified cellulose, lignin, or pectin as the major dietary source of fiber. Different sources of dietary fiber significantly influenced the villi height and the crypt depth in the duodenum, and the villi height and the muscle layer thickness in the ileum (p < 0.05). The duodenal villus in the geese that fed diets with alfalfa meal, rice hull or pectin supplemented were significantly longest ($968.5{\mu}m$), whereas the lignin group was significantly shortest villus and deepest crypt depth (p < 0.05). The thicknesses of the ileal and caecal muscle layer were significantly thicker in the geese fed with cellulose supplemented diets than in those fed with the other treatment diets. The caecum of the barley bran fed geese possessed significantly longest villi and the most thick muscle layers (p < 0.05). From scanning electronic microscopic observation, the leafy and plate-like in the duodenal villi morphology of geese represented a more effective nutrient absorption in the small intestine. The morphology of ileal villi in geese was similar from herbivorous rabbit and from the African Green monkey.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.502-510
• /
• 2015

The objective of this study was to assess the use of peach pomace in total mixed ration (TMR) silages and clarify the differences in aerobic stability between TMR and TMR silages caused by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The TMR were prepared using peach pomace, alfalfa hay or Leymus chinensis hay, maize meal, soybean meal, cotton meal, limestone, a vitamin-mineral supplement, and salt in a ratio of 6.0:34.0:44.4:7.0:5.0:2.5:1.0:0.1 on a dry matter (DM) basis. Fermentation quality, microbial composition, and the predominant LAB were examined during ensiling and aerobic deterioration. The results indicated that the TMR silages with peach pomace were well fermented, with low pH and high lactic acid concentrations. The aerobic stability of TMR silages were significantly higher than that of TMR. Compared with TMR silages with alfalfa hay, TMR silage with Leymus chinensis hay was much more prone to deterioration. Although the dominant LAB were not identical in TMR, the same dominant species, Lactobacillus buchneri and Pediococcus acidilactici, were found in both types of TMR silages after 56 d of ensiling, and they may play an important role in the aerobic stability of TMR silages.