• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.375-379
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• 1996

The experiment investigated the possibility of using effluent from RUSITEC (rumen simulation technique) inoculated with rumen liquor or cow faeces as sources of micro-organisms for in vitro digestion of forages. Nine forages ${\times}3$ sources of inoculum were used in a factorial arrangement of treatments. Rumen liquor was collected from fistulated sheep and faeces was collected from cows. The RUSITEC apparatus consisted of 4 vessels, 2 vessels were charged with faecal liquor and 2 with rumen liquor. On the 8th day of the experiment RUSITEC effluent were collected to use in in vitro studies. In vitro OMD (g/kg) values using three sources of inoculum (fresh rumen liquor, RUSITEC effluent from rumen liquor or cow faeces) were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The regression relationships between OMD using fresh rumen liquor and RUSITEC effluent were highly significant ($R^2>0.90$). The results suggest that RUSITEC effluent either from rumen liquor or cow faeces can be used as a source of micro-organisms for in vitro digestion of forages.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.371-374
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• 1996

Experiments were conducted to determine the effect of time intervals between collecting and use of cattle faeces as a source of micro-organisms in in vitro digestibility assays of forages. The results suggested that temperature conservation capacity by faeces depended on the size of the sample. There was no significant difference(p>0.05) between the first (T1 or 08:30 h) and second using time (T2 or 10:30 h). In vitro organic matter digestibility was significantly lower when faeces was used 5 h (T3 or 13:30 h) after collection. However, the organic matter digestibility determined at the second using time (T2) and third using time (T3) were highly correlated ($R^2=0.99$) with the first using time. It was concluded that faeces can be used as a source of microorganisms for in vitro digestibility assays of forages even 5 h after being voided.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.51-54
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• 1998

The present study investigated the use of cow faeces as a source of micro-organisms instead of sheep rumen liquor in in vitro digestibility assays of forages. Initially 40 forage samples comprising ryegrass, wheat, maize and barley were screened to select a wide range of digestibility (327-794 g/kg) of forages. Finally 8 forage samples were assessed using rumen liquor as well as faecal liquor. The absolute organic matter digestibility (OMD) values using faecal liquor were lower than those with rumen liquor. However, the relationship between OMD using rumen liquor and faecal liquor was highly significant (p < 0.001). The $R^2$ value exceed 0.90. The results suggest that micro-organisms from faecal liquor are capable of digesting forage samples.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.110-119
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• 1994

Measurements of hehage intake and milk yield were made on high yielding dairy cows, which were strip-grazed on Loliurn perenne sward at three levels of herbage allowance in three experimental periods. The contents of nitrogen, chrome and ash in the faeces slightly decreased with the progress of growth period of experimental sward, and the decrease of herbage allowance. There were small difference in herbage digestibility among periods or the levels of herbage allowance with falling from 82.7% to 79.1% from period 1 to period 3 and from 81.6% to79.9% from high to low level of herbage allowance. Daily herbage intake was 15.8 and 15.9 kg OMIcow at the high and medium levels of hecbage aljowance, but reduced significantly to 14.6 kg OM/cow at the low level. Herbage intakes in three periods were shown a slight decrease. Daily milk yield in terms of 4% FCM significantly decreased from 23.6 to 20.6 kg/cow from period 1 to period 3. Milk yield at the high and medium levels of herbage allowance were 23.5 and 22.2 kg/cow at the low level of herbage allowance. The highly significant (P<0.01) correlations between the level of herbage allowance and herbage intake (r=0.88), or milk yield (r=0.81) were obtained.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.673-679
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• 1998

The experiment was conducted to determine in situ rumen degradability of soybean meal (SM), fish meal (FM), sesame cake (SC) and Italian ryegrass hay (IRGH) and the effect of supplementing the above protein meals to IRGH on digestibility and balance of nutrients in three Saanen goats. For measuring the degradability, nylon bags containing each meal were incubated in the rumen of one fistulated dry cow for 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hrs. Degradability revealed that SM protein was highly degradable in the rumen (99.1%), while FM protein was less degradable (76.8%) with SC protein being intermediate (91.2%) at 48 hrs of incubation (p < 0.01). Degradation rate of the potentially degradable fraction was estimated to be 12.12, 5.88 and 5.88%/hr for SM, FM and SC, respectively. In the metabolism trial, all goats were offered daily 900 g IRGH and one of the supplements, SM (100 g), FM (75 g) or SC (100 g). Intake of DM, OM, CP and GE was similar among diets. However, digestibility of OM for SC diet was significantly lower than that for diets supplemented with FM and SM (p < 0.10). Nitrogen (N) excreted in faeces (p < 0.05) and in urine (p < 0.10) was, respectively, higher and lower for SC diet than that for the other two diets. The same tendency was observed in energy losses in faeces (p < 0.10) and in urine (p < 0.05). There was no difference in energy loss in methane or in heat production among diets. Consequently, no significant difference was observed in N retention (2.13, 0.42 and -0.11 g/day for FM, SC and SM diet, respectively) or in energy retention (-1.49, -2.14 and -2.70 MJ/day for FM, SM and SC diet, respectively). These results showed that protein supplements affected the digestion of diets based on grass hay with 7.45% CP in DM in goats, although there was no significant influence on N or energy retention.