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Large particle breakdown by cattle eating ryegrass and alfalfa
1CSIRO, Div. of Tropical Crops and Pastures, Cunningham Laboratory, St. Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia.
Journal of Animal Science
|April 1, 1988
Summary
Cattle break down large forage particles primarily through rumination (50%) and initial mastication (25%). Understanding particle breakdown is crucial for predicting feed intake in cattle.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Ruminant Nutrition
- Forage Quality
Background:
- Particle size reduction is critical for ruminant digestion.
- Understanding the breakdown of large particles (LP) is key to predicting voluntary feed intake.
- Leaf and stem fractions of forages like ryegrass and alfalfa undergo different breakdown processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the proportion of large particles (LP) broken down by different processes in cattle.
- To determine the contribution of mastication, rumination, digestion, and detrition to LP breakdown.
- To assess the implications of these findings for predicting voluntary feed intake from laboratory analyses.
Main Methods:
- Determined LP breakdown in leaf and stem fractions of perennial ryegrass and alfalfa fed to esophageally cannulated cattle.
- Defined LP as particles retained on a 1.18 mm wet sieve.
- Corrected for weight loss due to digestion, focusing on physical breakdown.
- Calculated breakdown contributions from primary mastication, rumination, and fecal loss.
Main Results:
- Primary mastication broke down 25% of LP.
- Rumination accounted for 50% of LP breakdown.
- Fecal loss represented 8% of LP.
- Digestion and detrition accounted for the remaining 17% of LP breakdown.
Conclusions:
- Rumination is the most significant process in breaking down large forage particles in cattle.
- Accurate assessment of particle breakdown mechanisms is vital for predicting feed intake.
- These findings contribute to a better understanding of forage utilization in ruminants.
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