Cicatricial digestion in sheep contained on diets with different levels of fiber

Abstract

The effect of feeding rations with different levels of easily- and hardly digestible carbohydrates on the processes of digestion in the rumen in sheep was studied. It has been proved that feeding to rats with diets with a higher fiber content promotes an increase in the total number of bacteria in the rumen and cellulolytic activity of total and protein nitrogen, the formation of volatile fatty acids with increasing molar fractions of acetic and propionic acids. It was found that in the scar's fluid before feeding, the concentration of total nitrogen in the group II sheep was the highest and exceeded this indicator of peers from Groups I and III by 35,02‒22,86 mg% (by 33,2 % and by 19,5 % respectively). For protein nitrogen, the difference between the groups compared was 42,46 and 17,05 mg%, respectively (47 and 15,1 %). The maximum concentration of low-molecular fatty acids was observed with the feeding of the second diet, where the level of fiber was 16 % higher. Thus, in the barley of this group, the content of the volatile fatty acids in 100 ml in the scar's fluid was 11,07 mMol, which is 12,7 % more than in peers from the control group and 6,0 % in the animals of the III group. It has been established that the feeding of experimental rations is accompanied by an increase in the molar proportions of acetic and propionic acids, with a decrease in the proportion of butyric acid. Thus, with the content of animals on the second diet, the level of acetic acid increased by 18,5% (P < 0,05), and propionic – by 16,4 % (P <0,02). A similar picture was observed when feeding the sheep III rations, but in less significant quantities than in the second test group. Feeding the diet to experienced animals, where the fiber level was 16,3% higher than in the control group, the total number of bacteria was 6,9 billion more. When counting bacteria of the scar of the sheep that received the III ration, it turned out that their content was 12,5 billion / ml, that is, 3,1 billion more than in control, but 3,8 billion less than in animals , who received the second diet. The number of amylolytic and glycerin-fermenting bacteria was greatest in I and III rations, and the content of lipolytic bacteria was lower in animals that received the II ration. Studying cellulolytic activity of rumen microflora, we found that the highest level is observed before morning feeding. However, the maximum splitting was observed in the case of the sheep fed the II ration.