THE USE OF NYLON BAGS TO CHARACTERISE THE POTENTIAL DEGRADABILITY OF FEEDS FOR RUMINANTS T.J. KEMPTON* SUMMARY

The nylon bag technique is a simple means of obtaining estimates of potential degradability of supplements and feedstuffs for ruminants. Rate of disappearance of test material from the bags is particularly sensitive to the basal diet of the cannulated animal. Inclusion of values for fractional clearance of undigested feed residues from the rumen into calculation of degradability provide estimates of rate of degradation of the various components of the test material which more closely approximate true degradability of the material in the rumen