Effect of protein concentration and protein source on the degradability of dry matter and protein in situ

Degradability of DM and CP was determined in situ for barley, canola meal, corn gluten meal, barley silage, and four concentrate mixtures. Crude protein percent of concentrate mixtures 1 to 4, respectively, were barley plus canola 1, 15.1; barley plus canola 2, 21.0; barley plus corn gluten 1, 17.1; and barley plus corn gluten 2, 19.6. Degradability of each feedstuff was measured on each of four basal diets consisting of barley silage and one of the above concentrate mixtures fed in the proportion 40:60 (DM). The resulting CP percent of diets containing concentrates 1 to 4 were 12.3, 16.1, 13.8, and 16.4. Effective degradability for DM and CP, assuming a rumen outflow rate of .08 h-1, were: barley 77.7 and 79.8; canola meal 60.9 and 66.6; corn gluten meal 18.9 and 11.0; barley silage 47.0 and 81.1; barley plus canola 1, 76.4 and 77.4; barley plus canola 2, 72.5 and 71.8; barley plus corn gluten 1, 72.8 and 55.8; barley plus corn gluten 2, 70.2 and 47.4. With two exceptions (DM degradability of concentrate 4 and CP degradability of concentrate 2), basal diet had no significant effect on effective CP or effective DM degradability. Crude protein degradability of concentrate mixtures 1 to 4, respectively, as measured (77.4, 71.8, 55.8, and 47.4) was similar to degradability estimated on the basis of their ingredient content (75.7, 72.1, 49.6, and 43.0).