Faecal endogenous loss of calcium in young sheep

1. Two groups of eight 6-7-month-old wether lambs were offered either a frozen ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.)-white clover (Trifolium repens L.) pasture or a ryegrass-white clover hay, containing 12.1 and 6.4 g calcium/kg dry matter (DM) respectively. Within groups the amounts offered to individual sheep ranged from 0.5 to 2.0 times the estimated maintenance energy requirements. 2. A single intravenous injection of 150 microCi 45Ca as CaCl2.2H2O, and stable balances were used to determine absorption, faecal endogenous loss and balance of Ca. 3. Faecal endogenous loss of Ca increased by 1.2 mg/kg body-weight (W) per d with each g/kg W per d increase in DM intake regardless of the diet. At any DM intake the mean faecal endogenous loss was 5.5 mg/kg W per d higher in the sheep offered the frozen herbage diet when compared with those on the hay diet. At any Ca intake the mean faecal endogenous loss was 6.9 mg/kg W higher in sheep offered the hay diet compared with those on the frozen herbage. 4. At feeding levels of about 1.5-2 times the estimated maintenance energy requirement the observed faecal endogenous loss of Ca ranged from 35 to 50 mg/kg W per d, which is two- to threefold greater than the present estimate of the Agricultural Research Council (1980) of 16 mg/kg W per d.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)