Abstract
The defaunating capabilities of alkanate 3SL3 and calcium peroxide were evaluated in sheep (70 kg BW). Alkanate 3SL3 was more suitable as a defaunating agent than calcium peroxide. The most efficacious procedure for using alkanate 3SL3 was a 3 d dose (25 ml/d in 200 ml water) without feeding during the first 2 d and a single supplemental dose (70 ml in 200 ml water) 8 d later. Nutrient digestibilities were lower for defaunated than control sheep, but differences were not significant (P>.10). Compared to faunated sheep, the sheep defaunated with alkanate 3SL3 had similar ruminal pH (6.0 vs 5.8 and 6.2 vs 6.6) and lower (P<.05) concentrations of ruminal ammonia (21.3 vs 2.0 and 19.8 vs 4.3 mg/dl) and total volatile fatty acids (115.5 vs 96.8 and 104.0 and 71.8 mM) at 2 and 4 h, respectively, after the morning feeding. The tendency for lower nutrient digestibility by defaunated sheep may be related to lower ruminal ammonia concentration resulting from defaunation. Using an in vitro system, it was determined that nystatin was required in concentrations too great (6 or 12 mg/ml ruminal contents) to be economically feasible.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 205-213 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Nutrition Reports International |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 1989 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Food Science
- Biochemistry
- Endocrinology