The nutritive value of citrus pulp ensiled with wheat straw and poultry litter for sheep

In experiment 1, 4 treatments were prepared consisting of a mixture of chopped wheat straw in different proportions, a fixed proportion of poultry litter and 0, 15, 30 and 45% citrus pulp on a dry matter basis. The mixtures were ensiled for 60 days at room temperature in polythene bags. Ensiling (time effect) resulted in an increase (P0.05) in dry matter intake between diets containing 0, 76 and 167 g/kg citrus pulp when the intake was expressed on the basis of metabolic body weight. However, there was a decrease (P<0.001) in intake of silage and diet dry matter, organic matter and digestible organic matter when the level of citrus pulp in the basal silage diet increased from 167 to 272 g/kg. Only animals on the basal silage diet containing 167 g/kg citrus pulp had a higher (P