Journal of the Indonesian Tropical Animal Agriculture (Dec 2011)
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SUPPLEMENT ON DEGRADATION OF DRY MATTER AND FIBER OF UNTREATED AND UREA TREATED RICE STRAW IN THE RUMEN OF SHEEP
Abstract
The study was conducted to investigate the degradation of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of urea untreated (URS) and urea treated rice straw (TRS) incubated in the rumen of sheep fed different diet. Three fistulated sheep were fed on urea-treated rice straw basal diet with three supplemental treatment diets which consisted of control diet (T0) mulberry and molasses; mulberry, rice bran and urea (T1); and rice bran and urea (T2). Either URS or TRS was placed in nylon bags and incubated in the rumen at 0, 8, 16, 24, 48 and 72 hours. Parameters recorded were degradation of DM and NDF, rumen pH, rumen ammonia. The results showed that DM degradability of URS of the diet T1 was significantly lower than other diets. Similarly the URS degradability of rumen-insoluble fraction (b) of DM and NDF of T1 diet was significantly lower than those of T0 and T2 diet. DM and NDF degradability of URS was not affected by diets. The rumen ammonia concentration of T1 and T2 was significantly higher than those T0, but still higher than critical ammonia concentration required for rumen microbial synthesis. These results suggest that different supplementations have no significant effect on DM and NDF degradability of TRS.
