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Feed Quality and Feeding Level Effects on Faecal Composition in East African Cattle Farming Systems.

ABSTRACT: Effects of feeding levels below maintenance requirements of metabolizable energy (MER) and of feed supplementation on fecal nutrient and microbial C concentrations were evaluated. In experiment 1, Rhodes grass hay only was offered to Boran steers at 80%, 60%, and 40% of individual MER, while steers at 100% MER additionally received a concentrated mixture. This reduction in MER decreased N, increased fungal C but did not affect bacterial C concentrations in feces. In experiment 2, Holstein × Boran heifers were offered a poor-quality roughage diet without supplement, with sweet potato vine silage or with a urea-molasses block. These two supplements did not affect the fecal chemical composition or fungal C but increased bacterial C concentrations in feces. Across all data, the fungal C/bacterial C ratio was positively related to N and negatively to neutral detergent fiber concentrations in feces, indicating diet-induced shifts in the fecal microbial community.

SUBMITTER: Ali AIM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7927072 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Feed Quality and Feeding Level Effects on Faecal Composition in East African Cattle Farming Systems.

Ali Asep I M AIM Wassie Shimels E SE Joergensen Rainer Georg RG Korir Daniel D Goopy John P JP Butterbach-Bahl Klaus K Merbold Lutz L Dickhoefer Uta U Schlecht Eva E

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 20210222 2

Effects of feeding levels below maintenance requirements of metabolizable energy (MER) and of feed supplementation on fecal nutrient and microbial C concentrations were evaluated. In experiment 1, Rhodes grass hay only was offered to Boran steers at 80%, 60%, and 40% of individual MER, while steers at 100% MER additionally received a concentrated mixture. This reduction in MER decreased N, increased fungal C but did not affect bacterial C concentrations in feces. In experiment 2, Holstein × Bora ...[more]

PMID: 33671605

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Dataset Information

Feed Quality and Feeding Level Effects on Faecal Composition in East African Cattle Farming Systems.

Publications

Feed Quality and Feeding Level Effects on Faecal Composition in East African Cattle Farming Systems.

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