FOOD PASSAGE RATE IN MOOSE

Four tame moose (Alces alces) were used to measure dry matter digestion and rates of fluid passage of three diets: a pelleted ration, a mixture of pellets and winter clipped aspen (Populus tremuloides), and a mixture of winter clipped aspen, willow (Salix spp.), and paper birch (Betula papyrifera). Dry matter digestion was greatest for the pellets (64.3%) followed by the pellet-aspen mix (58.9%) and the mixed browse (31.1%). Time of first appearance (15.8 h), rumen turnover time (31.2 h), and total mean retention time (53.6 h) of the fluid phase of digesta were longest for the mixed browse diet