The effect of supplementing grass silage with sodium hydroxide treated chopped or milled straw on intake and digestibility by wether sheep
Alawa, J.P.; Owen, E.
Animal Feed Science and Technology 12(3): 215-222
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0377-8401 DOI: 10.1016/0377-8401(85)90015-x
Accession: 006655730
The effect of replacing part of the dry matter (DM) of a silage-based diet with chopped (C) or milled (M) straw, untreated (U) or treated (T) with 55 g NaOH/kg DM was investigated using adult wether sheep. The diets comprised (DM basis); 66% perennial ryegrass silage, 33% rolled barley (SIL); 33% silage, 33% rolled barley and 33% chopped treated straw (CT) or 33% milled and pelleted treated straw (MT); 33% silage, 66% milled treated straw/barley where the barley and milled straw were pelleted together (MTB); 33% silage, 33% rolled barley, 33% chopped untreated straw (CU); 33% silage, 33% barley and 33% milled untreated straw (MU). Voluntary intake was signficantly (P < 0.01) higher on the silage control than on straw-containing diets. Digestibility was also higher (P < 0.05) on the control than on MT. NaOH treatment improved (P < 0.05) on the control than on MT. NaOH treatment improved (P < 0.01) the intake of the chopped straw diet and the digestibility of chopped or milled straw containing diets.