In situ ruminal crude protein and starch degradability of some grains and byproduct feeds in Turkey

The objective of this study was to evaluate in situ ruminal crude protein and starch degradabilities of some grains and byproduct feeds in sheep. Ingredients evaluated were corn (C), wheat (W), hazelnut meal (HM), corn gluten feed (CGF), and sunflower meal (SFM). Three ruminally cannulated 3 years of age male Merino sheep with an average initial body weight of 50±5 kg, 3 years of age, were housed in 1.22 x 1.70 m. Each sheep was fed with 1.0 kg/day alfalfa hay and 0.6 kg/day mixed concentrates containing 29% C, 22% W, 20% SFM and 29% soybean meal on dry matter (DM) basis and 25.0 g CaCO3, 1.0 g vitamin-mineral premix and 10.0 g NaCL. The bags were placed into the ventral rumen after morning feeding in quadruplicate at each time point in each sheep for 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h. The crude protein (CP) of HM was 21.6 and 27.87 percentage units higher than for CP of SFM and CGF, respectively. Ruminal effective degradability of crude protein calculated as a percentage of nutrients were 88.3%, 85.2%, 78.3%, 60.6% and 55.9% for W, CGF, HM, SFM and C, respectively and of starch were 92.8%, 67.9% and 61.6% for W, C and CGF, respectively. This study provides estimates of kinetics of ruminal degradation of feeds for using the accuracy of formulation of sheep diets