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The effect of frosting on the nutritive value of wheat grain was determined in a digestibility experiment with sheep. Thirty-six Merino wethers were maintained on diets of lucerne chaff (30%) and whole wheat grain (70%) which was sourced from either severely frosted (SF), lightly frosted (LF) or unfrosted (UF) crops. The experiment was conducted in a repeated balance study with 8 replications per treatment diet for each of the 7 treatment diets, new animals were assigned to the chaff control (treatment diet 8). The diets were offered at the liveweight maintenance level of feeding and the digestibility of the wheat component was calculated by adjusting for the digestibility of the lucerne component. Frosting had a relatively small effect on the nutritive value of wheat grain for sheep. Dry matter digestibility for UF, LF and SF wheats did not differ significantly (0.886, 0.854 and 0.839, respectively), although the SF wheat had a lower digestibility than the UF wheat at P

Two experiments were conducted: pen experiment 1, to determine the distribution of the recovery over time of ytterbium (Yb) for diets with high and low dry matter digestibility; field experiment 2, to measure lupin seed intake using Yb as a marker. The diets in experiment 1 consisted of wheaten chaff plus lupins in the following amounts (g): 700 + 0,525 + 175, 175 + 525. The marker was applied using an adhesive solution made with methyl cellulose to which Yb acetate had been added. Total faecal collections were made for at least 5 days following feeding with the marked supplement. Mean retention time of Yb was not affected by diet in experiment 1. Estimated average lupin seed intake in experiment 2 was slightly less (9.5%) than expected from the difference between that offered and refused. Possible reasons for this difference include losses during handling (1.3%) and incomplete recovery (2.9%). It is concluded that the technique is suitable for estimating intake of lupin seed by sheep grazing in a group. A less laborious technique using faecal grab samples instead of total collections was evaluated and found to be unsuitable for estimating individual or group intakes. Faecal grab samples could be used to rank individuals on supplement intake.

Many reports on the use of bentonite to increase wool growth indicate variable responses and it is often claimed that this variability is related to the chemical characteristics or the form in which the bentonite is fed. This paper describes 3 experiments in which there was consistency in the type and form of the clay. There was also comparison of the effects of dry and hydrated bentonite. In the first experiment, 64 sheep were individually penned and fed wheat chaff ad libitum. Thirty sheep were fed chaff only, 17 sheep received dry bentonite added to their chaff (20 g/kg chaff) and another 17 sheep had 23.7 g/day of bentonite added to their drinking water. Inclusion of bentonite in the drinking water significantly increased wool growth (P0.05) but liveweight gain was significantly increased (P

Hereford and Shorthorn steers were fed in yards for an initial period of 63 days, (including a 20 day change-over period) during which chaff and either wheat or oat grain were fed ; then for 5 days one grain was gradually substituted for the other; a final period of 64 or 71 days of feeding then followed. Two levels of grain were examined, 60 and 90 per cent, and similar percentages of an equal mixture of both grains were fed unchanged throughout the entire period. No digestive disturbances resulted from the substitution of the grains. In both the initial and final periods the steers receiving 90 per cent wheat had significantly higher liveweight gains than those on oats (1.36 v. 0.72 � SE 0.122 and 1.60 v. 0.84 � 0.079 kg per day). These gains were associated with an intake of wheat significantly higher than that of oats in the final period only (8.13 v. 5.88 �. 0.337 kg per day) and a lower (not significant) feed conversion of 5.31 v. 8.47 � 0.671. Results for an equal mixture of both grains were intermediate between those obtained with the single grain diets. There were no differences between treatments at the 60 per cent grain level. The dressing percentage of steers finishing the experiment on wheat (54.5 � 00.4) was significantly higher than of steers finishing on oats (51.9) or on a mixture of the grains (52.4).

Five experiments are reported which examine the effect of alkalis (NaOH, 0-1 4 g/100 g DM ; NH,OH, 0-2.9 g/l00 g DM), reaction time and temperature upon dry matter (DM) digestibility and related properties of mature forage waste materials. Digestion was assessed by microdigestion of test samples in the rumens of fistulated sheep fed lucerne base diets. Digestion of the DM of brewer's grains was increased from 50.2 per cent to 58.5 per cent by application of 2.9 per cent NaOH or NH4OH at room temperature for 24 hours, and to 81.9 per cent when heated to 80�C for 24 hours. Heating at 150�C for 1 hour produced no improvement over heating at 80�C for 24 hours. Average DM digestion of a range of mature grasses was improved by 6.9 per cent by applying 1.5 g NH4OH/100 g DM at room temperature for 17 hours and by 13.7 per cent when heated to 80�C for the same period. The DM digestion of mature legumes did not increase due to these treatments, but when heated with 1.5 g NH4OH/100 g DM to 130�C for 4 hours increased DM digestibility by 16.6 per cent. The digestion of unashed cell wall (CW) and acid detergent (AD) residues in mature grasses was increased by a prior extraction with neutral detergent and acid detergent. In mature legumes these pretreatments had no effect upon digestibility. The unashed (KmnO4 extracted) cellulose residues of grasses and legumes were incompletely digested compared with pure cotton. Both NaOH and the chelating agent EDTA eventually remove the CW-ash fraction and this is associated with increases in CW digestion with increasing level of their application. These chemicals also initially increase and then decrease the organic fraction of the mature forage CW, its ADF and lignin. The digestibility of cell walls of lucerne hay is increased from 24.3 per cent to 43.3 per cent by application of NaOH (9 g /100 g DM) for 2 hours at room temperatures; the corresponding increase for cell walls of wheaten chaff is from 33.9 per cent to 72.3 per cent. It is shown that alkalis induce increases in DM digestion by degrading cell walls and that the cell walls of mature grasses are more easily degraded than are the cell walls of mature legumes.

Three feed additives were studied for their potential to improve wool growth in sheep fed 2 diets; oaten chaff, or a pelleted mixture (g/kg) of lucerne (590), lupins (250), barley (1 50) and a mineral and vitamin mix (10). Additives were included with each diet as follows (mg/kg feed): avoparcin 25,50,75; flavomycin 5, 15, 30; lasalocid 30, 50, 70. Diets were fed at maintenance to mature Merino wethers for 9 weeks, and measurements were made of wool growth and rumen fermentation characteristics. Animals fed the pelleted diet grew more wool than those fed the chaff diet (6.3 compared with 5.1 g/m2.day, P

The feed additives flavomycin, a glycolipid antibiotic, and tetronasin, an ionophore, were evaluated for their ability to improve wool growth and liveweight gains in Merino sheep. Each was included in 2 diets: one was a pelleted mixture of (g/kg) lucerne (590), lupins (250) and barley (1 50); the other diet was wheaten chaff. Flavomycin was included in each diet at 10 and 20 mg/kg feed; tetronasin at 5 and 10 mg/kg feed. During an 8-week experimental period, the diets were fed ad libitum to weaner Merino wethers, with 15 sheep receiving each treatment diet at each level of additive inclusion, and 30 sheep receiving each diet without additives. Liveweight changes, feed intake and wool growth were measured over 2 consecutive 4-week periods, and rumen fluid samples were taken from all sheep after 6 weeks. Feed intake, liveweight gain and wool growth rate were all higher for animals eating the pelleted diets compared with those eating chaff. Rumen volatile fatty acids (VFA) and ammonia (NH3) concentrations were also higher with the pelleted diet. On the pelleted diet, flavomycin and tetronasin inclusion significantly increased liveweight gains during the second 4-week period (296, 277, 231 g/sheep.day for flavomycin, tetronasin and controls respectively, P

Lactating Merino ewes with single lambs were offered iso-nitrogenous diets of oats + 1 5% urea, or oats + 30% lucerne chaff (W/W air dry) at intakes ranging from 12 to 20 g digestible dry matter/kg liveweight. day (g DDM/kg. d). Crossbred ewes with twin lambs were given similar rations at two levels of intake (two or three x maintenance). Multiple regression equations indicated that the Merino ewes given oats + lucerne chaff at 14 g DDM/kg. d maintained the growth of their lambs at the same rate (171 g/d) as ewes given oats + urea at 18 g DDM/kg.d (1 69 g/d). Similarly, crossbred ewes given 1.0 kg DDM/d of oats +lucerne chaff maintained the growth rate of their lambs at only 17 g/d less (P>0. 05) than lambs raised by ewes given 1 .4 kg DDM/d of oats + urea. These differences were associated with the Merino and crossbred ewes given oats + lucerne chaff losing more liveweight than ewes given oats + urea at the same level of digestible dry matter intake/d.

Supplementation with 1.5% urea increased (P < 0.01) the dry matter intake by crossbred ewes fed oats (7.2% crude protein) during late pregnancy and lactation. The increase in intake by the ewes during lactation resulted in a higher weaning weight of single lambs (1 0.2 vs 18.6 kg, P < 0.01 ),and enabled twin lambs to attain a weaning weight of 12.9 kg. Unsupplemented ewes suckling twin lambs were removed from the experiment 3 weeks after lambing when their mean liveweight was only 35.3 kg compared with 51.0 kg 6 weeks before lambing. Additional increases in dry matter intake of the ewes and liveweight of the lambs at 6 weeks of age were obtained by adding iso-nitrogenous supplements of commercial protein pellets or lucerne chaff. Fewer (P < 0.05) twin lambs died within the first 7 days when the oats were supplemented with lucerne chaff. The results indicate that supplementation of low protein oats with urea increased the intake of crossbred ewes suckling single or twin lambs and the increase was particularly important for ewes with twin lambs. Additional benefits achieved by supplementing with protein pellets or lucerne chaff were not of practical or economic significance.

Various combinations of cereal chaff and Pinus radiata needles were fed to penned sheep in three experiments. The in vivo digestibility of green needles was estimated to be 36%. Intakes of needles were variable and increased to more than 50% of the total dry matter intake if the chaff component of the diet was restricted to 25% of normal intake. Under these conditions, the needles made a useful contribution to the diet and reduced rates of liveweight loss.The feeding value of pine needles may decrease by about 30% as they age but that of fresh young needles can be greater than those of late summer pasture residues. Therefore, if kept ungrazed for in situ consumption in summer or during drought, when pasture residues are not able to maintain sheep, green pine needles can be valuable either as a substitute for pasture or as a partial supplement.

The nutritive value of leaf material cut from a highly fertilized kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clan destinum) sward was assessed with penned sheep in a 6 x 6 latin square design over 21 8 days. Estimates of the nutritive value were made for the dried leaf, leaf with a mineral supplement, leaf milled and pelleted and for rations that contained the pellets and either oaten chaff or grain. The leaf had an organic matter digestibility (OMD) of 63.5 per cent and contained 3.5 per cent nitrogen (N). Milling and pelleting the leaf did not significantly affect those values although OMD was lower (60.5 per cent), voluntary intake higher (by 16 per cent) and the rate of da ily live mass gain by sheep (1 17 g day-1) increased threefold, compared with those on the unmilled leaf ration. All sheep had net retentions of N (range 2.7-10.1 g day-1 ; P < 0.01). The rate of wool growth did not differ significantly between sheep on the rations whereas the rate of live mass change was highest for sheep on pellets : grain (60 : 40) (183 g day-1) and lowest for sheep on pellets : chaff (60 : 40) (3 g day-1; P < 0.01).

The failure of some sheep to eat pelleted feed in feedlots prior to export may result in subsequent problems in their health and welfare. We investigated ways of improving feeding behaviour by adding chaffed hay or aromatic compounds to the pelleted feed. A control ration of pellets was compared with the same diet sprayed with solutions of butyric acid, aniseed oil or molasses, or fed with chaff (lucerne or oaten). Measurements of the number of sheep eating and total feed intake were made over a 10-day period. Merino wethers from 3 properties were mixed and allocated into 2 replicate groups of 39 animals per yard (1 3 m2/sheep) for each of the 6 treatments. The patterns of feed intake over time fell into 2 distinct groups. Over 70% of sheep fed pellets with either type of chaff visited the feed trough during the first 24 hours. When no chaff was fed, this level of feeding was achieved only after 4 days. All groups fed pellets without chaff showed the same pattern of feed intake, reaching a peak intake on day 3 or 4 before reducing intake until day 6 and then an increasing intake up to day 10. Little sign of this fluctuation was seen in the animals fed pellets with chaff, suggesting that, when only pellets were fed, an unstable pattern of rumen fermentation may have caused a build-up of lactic acid in the rumen and reduced feed intake. Molasses and aniseed reduced (P

The potential use of waste paper as a feedstuff for ruminants was investigated. Analyses of a range of types of paper showed that waste paper could be regarded only as a source of energy for animal production ; cellulose was the main chemical constituent. Levels of nitrogen (N) and soluble ash were very low in most samples. In vitro organic matter (OM) digestibilities ranged from a mean of 22 per cent for waste newspaper up to a mean of 63 to 65 per cent for high-quality office waste paper and computer printout. Individually penned mature crossbred wethers gained liveweight at a mean rate of 11 7 g day-1 when fed on pellets consisting of 65 per cent Gwernment waste paper (52.5 per cent in vitro digestibility), 32 per cent linseed meal and 3 per cent minerals, provided roughage as chaffed hay (50-300 g head-1 day-1) was fed as well. Mean daily dry matter (DM) intakes were about 1600 g. Without the chaffed hay, intakes fell to 1400 g DM head-1 day-1 and the sheep maintained weight. In a second experiment, crossbred ewes aged about seven months were offered ad libitum either lucerne pellets, Government waste paper pellets, or pellets containing equal proportions of Government waste paper and newspaper. The paper pellets contained 84 per cent paper, 8.4 per cent molasses, 3.6 per cent urea and 4 per cent minerals. During the first seven weeks, when 100-200 g head-1 day-1 of chaffed lucerne hay were offered in addition to the pellets, mean DM intakes (g day-1) and liveweight gains (g day-1) were 1522 and 144 for the lucerne-fed sheep, 950 and 60 for the sheep on Government paper pellets, and 450 and -27 for the sheep on the 42 per cent newspaper pellets. During the next two weeks, lucerne chaff was omitted; the sheep on lucerne pellets increased their mean DM intake and rate of gain, those on the Government waste paper pellets maintained their food intake but lost weight slowly, while sheep on the 42 per cent newspaper pellets reduced food intake and lost weight rapidly (-1 18 g day-1). OM digestibility of both paper diets was 56 to 60 per cent when fed with roughage, and decreased to 55 per cent when lucerne chaff was omitted. Ewes on both paper diets were consistently in negative N balance (-1.3 to -3.2 g N day-1) while those fed the lucerne pellets were in consistent positive balance (+3.3 g N day-1).

A study has been made of a Mexican semi-dwarf wheat (Lerma Rojo X Norim 10- Brevor 14) Andes3, local accession number WW 15. In 53 trials, over two seasons and a wide range of conditions, this has shown a marked grain yield superiority over other Mexican and Australian varieties when grown in high yielding environments. Nine varieties in five trials were sampled at maturity. Varietal grain yield was highly correlated with harvest index and with the number of grains set relative to straw and chaff weight. WW 15 excelled in both ratios, and combined a dense ear population with many grains per ear.

The concentrations of urea, inorganic phosphorus, haemoglobin, plasma chloride, sodium, and potassium and the packed cell volume were determined on samples of blood from 70 Hereford steers that had been intensively finished on high-grain rations based on either wheat, barley, or sorghum grain. Oaten chaff was used as the roughage and half the steers had free access to sodium chloride. The inorganic phosphorus levels of 6.5 to 7.1 mg/100 m1 of blood were higher than those recorded in grazing cattle and were significantly different for the grain types. Blood urea levels were affected by roughage level, grain types, and access to sodium chloride. Plasma sodium but not chloride was affected by the type of grain and by sodium chloride.

The effects of type of grain (wheat, barley, or sorghum), level of roughage (0, 1, and 2 kg of oaten chaff/head/day) and sodium chloride free choice on the performance of steers of a mean (� S.E.) body weight of 241 � 2 kg fed in yards for a mean period of 133 � 4 days were examined in a factorial experiment. The type of grain, the level of chaff offered to the steers, or the provision of sodium chloride had no significant effect on daily body weight gain (1.08 � 0.03 kg) or efficiency of conversion of feed dry matter (D.M.) to body weight or carcase weight gain (6.5 and 9.7 kg feed D.M./kg gain respectively). Steers fed wheat had a significantly (P

Eighty-four calves were weaned at five weeks of age on to barley-based pellets containing 0, 2, or 4 per cent of mixed buffers. An additional treatment was to provide access or no access to straw chaff. Growth rates from six to twelve weeks of age were 0.94 and 0.71 kg day- 1 for calves with and without access to straw chaff. With 0, 2, and 4 per cent buffers in the pellets the growth rates after weaning were 0.79,1.00, and 1.02 kg day-1 respectively for calves eating chaff and 0.66,0.71 and 0.77 kg day-1 respectively for calves without access to chaff. There were two deaths due to bloat at each of the 0 and 2 per cent levels of buffers when chaff was not available. The responses to buffers and roughage are discussed in relation to saliva production and rumen function.

Observations on the nature of two roughage diets collected from nine oesophageal fistulated, pen-fed sheep on twenty-three occasions are reported. The diets were lucerne chaff and a wheaten grain-chaff mixture. The fistulas were of three types. Six were latex plug stoppered fistulas with relaxed orifice diameter of 1.5 to 3.0 cm ; two were fitted with rigid screw-capped acrylic cannulas of diameter 2.5 cm ; and one was an early Torell type fistula with a 6.0 cm by 1.0 cm orifice. Over 35 per cent of the diet can be recovered from these fistulas, which is satisfactory. Mean recoveries (pooled with respect to diet) were 36 per cent for acrylic cannuluted fistulas, 46 per cent for latex plug stoppered fistulas, and 82 per cent for the Torell type fistula. For all fistulas recovery values varied widely. On the lucerne chaff diet the nitrogen content of the extruded material did not differ significantly from the feed eaten. However, the ash content was significantly increased (P