Studies on the relative ability of steers and rabbits to digest pasture herbage.--.

The limitations of routine chemical analysis and the impracticability of digestion trials with large animals as indices of nutritive value of pasture grass are discussed. In view of this situation the use of rabbits as pilot animals for farm ruminants is suggested. A trial, comparing the digestive powers of steers and rabbits on pasture grass, is reported. The results show that in general rabbits do not digest the grass to the same extent as steers, the greatest difference showing in the crude fibre fraction. Nevertheless because of their uniform response in digestibility of pasture herbage and the ease with which they can be handled and fed in relatively large numbers, rabbits have certain merits which would justify their use as pilots for steers in nutritional studies of pasture herbage