title: Feed intake, digestion and digesta characteristics of cattle fed Bermudagrass or orchardgrass alone or with ground barley or corn.
abstract: Feed intake, digestion and digesta characteristics of cattle fed bermudagrass (BG) or orchardgrass (OG) alone or with supplemental ground corn or barley were determined in two 6 x 6 latin squares with 2 x 3 factorial treatment arrangements. In Exp. 1, beef cows (Hereford, Angus and Hereford-Angus; 452 kg) cannulated in the rumen and duodenum were fed BG (7.9% CP, 79% NDF and 8.7% ADL) or OG (9.8% CP, 79% NDF and 7.2% ADL) hays at 1.2% of BW per day either alone or with added ground barley (.64% BW) or ground corn (.60% BW daily). The increase in microbial OM flow with corn was greater for OG than for BG; corn elevated microbial OM flow more than did barley with OG but less than with BG (forage type x grain source interaction; P less than .10). The increase in total tract OM digestion with grain was greater for BG than for OG (supplementation effect and forage type x supplementation interaction; P less than 05). In Exp. 2, Holstein steers (228 kg) were fed BG and OG hays ad libitum either alone or with addition of either 1.07% of BW per day of barley or 1.00% BW of corn. Total DM intake was 2.19, 3.03 and 2.82% BW for BG and 2.14, 2.80 and 2.52% BW for OG alone or with barley or corn supplements, respectively, being affected by forage type, grain supplementation, grain type and a forage type x grain supplementation interaction (P less than .05). Organic matter digested daily (g/d) was higher for OG than for BG, higher with than without grain and higher for barley than for corn (P less than .05).
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 72701.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Brake
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Goetsch
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Forster
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Landis
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D004063:Digestion; D004435:Eating; D005285:Fermentation; D001467:Hordeum; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006109:Poaceae; D012417:Rumen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D013046:Specific Gravity; D003313:Zea mays