Influence of type of supplemental carbohydrate on ruminal responses and methane output from ruminants consuming low-quality forage.

摘要

Three energy supplements and two species (cows and ewes) were evaluated during gestation and lactation. The basal diet was straw.;Forage and total DMI interacted with species, supplements, and physiological stages.;Physiological stage and sampling time interacted for pH. Supplement and sampling time interacted for butyric acid proportion and total VFA concentration.;Digestibility was lower during lactation than gestation for cows, but similar for ewes. Fill of the gastrointestinal tract was .80 and 1.36% BW for gestation and lactation, respectively.;Methane output interacted between species and physiological stage.;Energy lost in feces responded to physiological stage. Forty eight and 60% of the GEI was lost as feces during gestation and lactation, respectively. The use of energetic supplements in ewes depresses FDMI in gestation, but stimulates it during lactation when a diet based on low-quality forage is fed. For cows, energetic supplements does not affect FDMI during gestation or lactation.