Voluntary intake and performance of ruminant animals offered poultry litter-olive cake silage

[摘要] Poultrylittercollectedfromacommercialbroilerhouse,beddedwithwoodshavings,wasused.Thescreenedpoultrylitterwasensiledwithfreshcrudeolivecakeandgroundmaizegrain(20:70:10).Ensilingwasinanabove-groundconcretesilopit.Thesilagewasopenedafter60daysoffermentationandusedintrialswithgrowingChiosewelambs,Damascusgoatkids,FriesianheifersandmatureChioswethersheep.Inallfourtrialstheperformanceofanimalsonthesilagedietwascomparedwiththoseonacontroldiet.ApparentdigestioncoefficientsoftheactualdietsconsumedbytheheifersweremeasuredusingChioswethersheep.Thesilageused(12.8%Nx6.5indrymatter)hadverygoodaromaandcolour,apHvaluebelow5(4.8?0.09),acceptableconcentrations(mg/g)ofacetic(54.2?22.3),propionic(35.7?7.23)andlacticacid(57.5?1.34)andlowlevelsofbutyricacid(4.9?1.55).Ewelambsandwethersonthecontroldietwerealmostmaintainingweight,whereasthegoatkidsandheifersgainedweight.Incontrast,ewelambs,goatkidsandheifersonthesilagedietallgainedweight.Differencesbetweentreatments(ControlvsSilage),withinanimalspecies,weresignificantinewelambsandheifers.Ewelambsonthesilagedietperformedbetterthanthoseonthecontroldiet,whereastheoppositeprevailedinheifers.DrymatterandNx6.25digestibilityofthecontroldiet(0.49:0.51,concentratetostraw)were64.5and70.1%andforthesilagediet(0.44:0.12:0.44,concentrate:straw:silage)were59.3and70.1%.Thesilagewasverypalatableandthecorrespondingdailyintake(gDM/kg^0.75)wasforewelambs49.2,goatkids26.1andwethers55.4,respectively.

[学科分类] 农业科学（综合）