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Energy balance studies through C–N balance were conducted on 15 adult male sheep of Muzaffarnagari breed. The animals weighing 42 kg were randomly assigned to three groups of five animals each and were fed ad lib wheat straw treated with urea (4 kg urea per 100 kg DM) with a storage time of 21 days (group I, control) or urea (1.5 kg per 100 kg DM) without storage time (group II) or urea plus calcium hydroxide (3 kg urea plus 3 kg calcium hydroxide per 100 kg DM) with a storage time of 21 days (group III). The cell wall and dry matter digestibility was higher ( P P P P P P −1 W 0.75 per day in groups I, II and III, respectively. It was significantly ( P

Twelve adult Muzaffarnagari rams (mean weight 41.4 2.09) were used to study fasting heat production (FHP) using open circuit respiration calorimetry. After a maintenance level of feeding for 60, sheep were fasted for three days and later subjected to gaseous exchange studies for 72‐96 h. Mean oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide and methane production (l/d) and urinary nitrogen excretion (g/d) values for sheep were 187.9, 130.4, 0.346 and 2.94, respectively. Mean fasting heat production of sheep was 54.1 kcal/kg W 0.75 per day and feeding rations with different roughage to concentrate ratio at maintenance level

Three groups (I II and III) of Muzaffarnagari sheep comprising each of four sheep were fed diets containing 92:8, 50:50 and 30:70 roughage (R) and concentrate (C) ratio. Conventional metabolic trial was followed by gaseous exchange study in open circuit respiration chamber. The carbon content of feed, feces and urine was estimated by adopting soda lime method whereas carbon loss as carbondioxide and methane was determined from gaseous exchange in respiration chamber. Nutritive value in terms of DP (%) and TDN (%) was significantly (p

Ram lambs of the Muzaffarnagari breed weighing 42 kg were randomly assigned to three groups of five animals. These animals were used to study the effect of chemically treated wheat straw on methane production and energy balance. Wheat straw was treated either with urea (4 kg urea per 100 kg DM) with a storage time of 21 days (treatment I; control) or with urea (1.5 kg per 100 kg DM) without storage time (treatment II) or with urea plus calcium hydroxide (3 kg urea plus 3 kg calcium hydroxide per 100 kg DM) with a storage time of 21 days (treatment III). All straws were fed ad libitum. The crude protein content of wheat straw during feeding was 7.8%, 7.9% and 7.6% in treatments I–III, respectively. Corresponding dry matter (DM) intake was 43.7, 34.9 and 49.5 g kg −1 W 0.75 , respectively which was significantly higher in treatment III than that of treatment II. The DM digestibility in treatments I (54.2%) and III (50.9%) was higher than that of treatment II (42.7%). The digestible energy (DE) intake that was measured in kJ kg −1 W 0.75 d −1 was higher in treatments I (412) and III (471) than that of treatment II (282). Similar trend was observed in metabolizable energy (ME) intake. Methane production per kg digested organic matter (OM) per d was lower in treatments I (301) and III (291) than that of treatment II (461). The energy balance was measured in kJ kg −1 W 0.75 d −1 in treatments I–III, respectively. The energy balance in treatments I (113) and III (170) was higher than that of treatment II (−40). It is concluded that treatment of straw with urea and/or a mixture of urea with calcium hydroxide followed by storage can improve digestibility compared to spraying with urea solution prior to feeding and also reduce methane production per kg digested OM and increase energy balance.

Eight male goats of Cheghu breed, 1–2 years old, weighing 19.5–35.2 kg were divided into two groups of four animals in each. Digestibility and N-balance measurements were made on berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum) based rations which were given either alone (T1 group) or supplemented with crushed maize (T2 group) to provide different levels of energy about their maintenance requirements. Energy and N balances were determined by conducting respiration calorimetry trials on all the individual animals in an open circuit respiration chamber. The DM intake was 50.1 and 65.2 g kg−1W0.75 per day in T1 and T2 groups, respectively, which were different (P < 0.05) from each other. The animals in both groups were in positive N balance. The ME intake per kgW0.75 per day in T2 group (696.2 kJ) was higher (P < 0.05) than T1 group (482 kJ). The retention of energy per kgW0.75 per day in T2 group was 149.2 kJ which was higher (P < 0.05) than that in T1 (6 kJ) group. The energy requirement for maintenance (MEm), determined from regression of energy retention (ER) on metabolizable energy intake (MEI), was 476 kJ kg−1W0.75 per day. Fasting heat production (FHP) was 326 kJkg−1W0.75 per day with efficiency of utilization of ME for maintenance (km) 0.686. It is concluded that the ME requirements for maintenance of pashmina bearing Cheghu goats which inhabit the higher altitude of Himalayan range under severe cold and dry climate is similar to the goats found in the plains of India.

Fifteen intact male Jamunapari goats, average BW 22.0 kg, were divided into three groups to investigate the effects of longterm consumption of leucaena on fasting heat production and thyroid hormones. Animals were offered rations containing leucaena leaves and twigs to provide about 0%, 40% and 50% CP in L 1 (control), L 2 and L3 groups, respectively, in Phase I (165 days). In the second phase (210 days) L 1 and L 3 were similar to the first phase whereas in L 2 the proportion of leucaena was reduced to provide 25% CP. Basal roughage was Zea mays (maize), aerial part, in Phase I and Avena sativa (oat) hay in Phase II. Blood samples were collected at 100-day intervals. The mean value of triiodothyronine was 0.82 ng ml −1 , 1.00 ng ml −1 , 1.65 ng ml −1 ; 0.84 ng ml −1 , 0.91 ng ml −1 , 0.96 ng ml −1 and 0.76 ng ml −1 , 0.66 ng ml −1 and 0.67 ng ml −1 in L 1 , L 2 and L 3 groups, respectively, on Day 135 (Stage I), Day 240 (Stage II) and Day 340 (Stage III) of feeding. Triiodothyronine was higher ( P ≤ 0.01) for the L 3 group in Stage I with no differences at later samplings. Thyroxine level was not affected in this study. Fasting heat production (FHP) was not affected by diet (269 ± 9 kJ per kg W 0.75 day −1 ). It is concluded that feeding leucaena up to a level to provide 50% CP in the rations to Jamunapari goats had no effect on FHP and serum thyroxine level.