[The usefulness of polyethylene for quickly measuring the rate of food passage through the digestive tract of ruminants].
In experiments with 5 rams it was investigated whether it is possible to use pulverised polyethylene for measuring the passage rate of the feed through the digestive tract. Polyethylene of a particle diameter of 0.4 mm and the specific weight of 0.924 represented 1.78 and 3.56% of the pelleted diet, which contained 41.8% meadow hay, 25.3% barley, 15.4% beech sawdust, 15% molasses, 1.3% urea, 1.2% mixture of vitamins and minerals. After the single polyethylene application to 3 sheep the quota of its recovery in faeces was 68.9-74.4-87.4%. During the continuous polyethylene application over 8 days 64.8% was rediscovered, after the end of the application 80.25% (12th day). The best results in the quota of recovery were achieved after the application of the continuous daily ration with 25 g polyethylene per fistula during the feeding of a ground feed ration with additionally long hay. In this case the quota of the recovery of polyethylene was between 93.2 and 98.9%. The low quota of the recovery of polyethylene was probably caused by retention in the rumen and the large intestine, which was corroborated by the pathologic-anatomic dissection one month after the end of the experiment. Possibly there is a different explanation for the low quotas of recovery both in the size and the shape of the polyethylene particles and in the method of determination and the method of application.
D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D005243:Feces / Q000032:analysis; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility; D008297:Male; D010316:Particle Size; D011095:Polyethylenes / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012756:Sheep / Q000502:physiology*; D013279:Stomach, Ruminant / Q000502:physiology
D011095:Polyethylenes
Die Brauchbarkeit von Polyäthylen für Geschwindigkeits-messung der Futterpassage durch den Verdauungstrakt der Wiederkäuer.