China Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine ›› 2023, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (1): 106-114.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2023.01.011

• Nutrition and Feed • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of Whole Triticale Hay on Nutrient Apparent Digestibility,Serum Biochemical Indices and Rumen Fermentation of Breeding Cattle

SUN Haobin, XUE Yuyang, NIU Yujie, NIU Junli, ZHANG Wenju, CHEN Cheng   

  1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832003, China
  • Received:2022-06-29 Online:2023-01-05 Published:2023-01-04

Abstract: 【Objective】 This experiment was conducted to study the effects of whole plant of triticale hay on the apparent digestibility of nutrients, serum biochemical indexes and rumen fermentation in breeding cattle, and provide data reference for the rational use of triticale hay in animal husbandry.【Method】 Under the same feeding conditions, 30 healthy, physiologically sound Holstein breeding cattle aged 10 months with an average weight of (325.0±20.0) kg were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups (control, Ⅰ and Ⅱ groups), with ten replicates per group, one cattle per replicate. The cattle in control group was fed the basal diet (alfalfa hay:wheat straw=1:1), and in groups Ⅰ and Ⅱ, 50% (alfalfa hay:wheat straw:whole plant triticale hay=0.5:0.5:1) and 100% (all whole plant triticale hay) hay of the basal diet were replaced by whole plant of triticale hay, respectively.The pre feeding period was 7 days, and the trial period was 66 days.The average daily gain and feed to gain ratio were calculated by weighing each breeding cattle before and after the trial period, and the feed intake was recorded daily. Manure and rations samples were collected in the last 4 days of the trial period to determine the nutrient apparent digestibility. Blood was collected before the morning feeding and rumen fluid was collected 2 h after the morning feeding on the 66th day of the trial period to determine the serum biochemical and rumen fermentation indexes.【Result】 ①The differences in weight and daily gain of breeding cattle between groups were not significant (P>0.05), the feed to gain ratio of group Ⅱ was significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05).②The apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) in group Ⅰ was not significantly different from that of control group (P>0.05), but was extremely significantly higher than that of group Ⅱ (P<0.01). The apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in group Ⅰ were significantly higher than that of group Ⅱ (P<0.05), and was extremely significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.01).③The levels of serum glucose (GLU), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), total protein (TP), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in breeding cattle were not significantly different between groups (P>0.05). The concentrations of serum albumin (ALB) in group Ⅱ were extremely significantly higher than those in control group and group Ⅰ (P<0.01).The serum urea nitrogen (UN) content of cattle in group Ⅰ was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05), but not significantly different from group Ⅱ (P>0.05).④Ruminal pH, total volatile fatty acid (TVFA), acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid content and acetic acid/propionic acid (A/P) of breeding cattle were not significantly different between groups (P>0.05);The concentration of ruminal NH3-N of cattle in group Ⅱ was significantly higher than that in group Ⅰ (P<0.05), but not significantly different from that in control group (P>0.05).The content of ruminal microbial protein (MCP) of cattle in group Ⅱ was significantly lower than that in group Ⅰ (P<0.05).【Conclusion】 Replacing 50% of the hay in the rouhage of breeding cattle with whole plant triticale hay improved their serum biochemical indexes and rumen fermentation, and significantly improved the apparent digestibility of nutrients in the rations.

Key words: triticale hay; breeding cattle; apparent digestibility; serum biochemical index; rumen fermentation

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