Comparative study of €œin vivo€ digestibility of forage grass with sheep and cattle: II. Fresh napier grass and napier grass silage

Abstract

The digestibility of napier grass silages was studied using two ruminant species, sheep and cattie. The trials were carried out using the conventional method (total feces collection). During the experiments sheeps were kept n crats and equiped with harness for feces collection each trial was divided into three periods: 1) adaptation, with 14 days of duration for both species; 2) adjustment with 7 days for ovine and 14 days for bovine; 3) collection, with 7 days for ovine and 12 days for bovine. The animals at the adjustment period and during the whole collection period were fed 80% of the ad libitum intake. observed in the adaptation period. The roughage used in the experiments was napier grass: 1 €” Fresh Napier grass; ii €” Napier grass silage (molasses added at ensiling-time); III €” Napier grass silage (50kg of ground whole ear com added par ton of fresh forage at ensiling-time); IV €” Napier grass silage (100kg of ground whole ear com added per ton of fresh forage at ensiling-time) and V €” Napier grass silage (150kg of ground whole ear com added par ton of fresh forage at ensiling-time), in experiment II the digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, nitrogen free extract, gross energy and organic matter were higher (P <0.05) for cattle. No differences between the two species of animals were found for the digestibility of the parameters studied in experiments I, III, IV and V.