Cassava pulp is an energy-rich by-product of the tapioca industry, and is known as a good media for growing filamentous fungi. It may therefore be not only an alternative to maize in poultry diets, but also a carrier for beneficial…
Twenty adult goats, fitted with ruminal cannulae, were used to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) mixtures on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestion and blood profiles. The wethers were assigned equally to one of the two…
The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of sow age on apparent total tract digestibility of nutrients and the concentration of metabolizable energy in the diet. The experiment was carried out on 20 gestating sows, divided into…
A study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary inclusion of discarded cabbage (DC) on the intake and growth performance of lambs. Diets containing 0 (control, DC0), 100 g DC/kg (DC100), 150 g DC/kg (DC150) and 200 g DC/kg…
It was hypothesized that maize steep liquor, which is high in crude protein, could replace soybean meal in supplementation strategies in lamb production systems. Therefore, the effects of replacing soybean meal with maize steep liquor at 0%, 33%, 66% and…
This study investigated the effects of replacing rapid-release nitrogen (N) from urea with a graded level of slow-release N (Optigen® II) source on intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation and microbial protein synthesis, when sheep were fed a poor-quality roughage diet. Five…
A study was conducted to determine dietary energy levels for optimum productivity and carcass characteristics of indigenous Venda chickens raised in closed confinement. Four dietary treatments were considered in the first phase (1 to 7 weeks) on two hundred day-old…
This study was carried out to compare the performance of broilers fed diets containing only vegetable protein (VP) with birds that received an animal protein (AP) in their diets. Cobb 500 day-old male broiler chicks (n = 256) were randomly…
A study was carried out to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of crude glycerol as a partial replacement of maize at 50 g/kg and 100 g/kg in pig grower diets. Three experimental diets were formulated, a control (CN) and…
Yield, chemical composition, in vitro digestibility and kinetics of fermentation of straw from 18 varieties of oats (Avena sativa L.) were studied. All the straw varieties were grown in three replicates under the same agronomic conditions. Significance differences were observed…
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of slow-release α-amylase in ruminal in vitro digestion of maize and sorghum grains. Digestibility was measured using an in vitro procedure with 40 mL of buffer and 10 mL of…
The effects of incremental levels (0, 24 and 36%) of sun-dried and coarsely ground Opuntia cladodes in balanced diets on feed and water intake and excretion of urine and faeces were investigated. Nine Dorper wethers (mean live weight 45.3 ±…
The aim of the study was to determine the effect of whey or molasses on the fermentation quality when added to potato hash silage. In addition, lamb performance, digestibility and feed intake of diets containing potato hash silage were compared…
A randomized complete block design with five replications was used to assess biomass yield, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and nutritional value of spineless cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) produced under drip irrigation and fertilization. Cladodes were harvested from an established…
The aim of this study was to ascertain whether the defoliation frequency based on a fixed rest period would generate variable sward structural and physiological conditions at each subsequent grazing event. The relative importance of the physiological age was established…
The daily voluntary feed intake and digestibility of 31 forages by sheep and cattle were measured. It was found that the intake of cattle per kg W0,75kg was significantly higher than that of sheep in 26 out of the 3l…
Thirty six lactating cows were used in a trial with a partially balanced change-over design to determine the effect of the fineness of roughage and concentrate to roughage ratio on intake and digestibility. Nine rations were used with combinations of…
Oesophageally fistulated (OF) sheep and cattle were used to collect samples from 7 green herbages used in digestibility trials. These samples were treated and dried in different ways. In the case of sheep the treatment of OF-collected samples (total extrusa…
It has been postulated that intake of feed mixtures will increase with increasing levels of concentrate until a peak is reached, whereafter it will decline again due to a lack of roughage to ensure a healthy rumen environment. Thus, it…
Leaves of 10 different plant species utilized by the kudu were collected, dried and ground. This material was used to determine DM digestibility, gas production and VFA production during in vitro fermentation with rumen fluid obtained from kudu. Plants preferred…
