Table 4.
Intake, faeces and apparent DM digestibility (DMD), organic matter (OM) digestibility (OMD) and crude protein (CP) digestibility (CPD) of Boran steers fed a ration consisting mainly of Rhodes grass hay offered at either 0·4, 0·6, 0·8 or 1·0 times maintenance energy requirements (MER) measured over 6 d during a 21-d feeding period following a 14-d adaptation period
(Mean values and pooled standard errors)
| Intake | 1·0 MER | 0·8 MER | 0·6 MER | 0·4 MER | Pooled sem | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As fed (g) | 5043a | 3969b | 3539c | 2385d | 46·5 | <0·001 |
| DM (g) | 4542a | 3728b | 3162c | 2155d | 64·3 | <0·001 |
| OM (g) | 4194a | 3442b | 2968c | 1987d | 57·1 | <0·001 |
| CP (g) | 403a | 261b | 218c | 145d | 3·6 | <0·001 |
| Faeces | ||||||
| DM (g) | 1·945a | 1,546b | 1,339c | 929d | 43·6 | <0·05 |
| OM (g) | 1,674a | 1,306b | 1,174c | 831d | 41·9 | <0·001 |
| CP (g) | 155·3a | 99·6b | 84·2b | 61·0c | 4·6 | <0·001 |
| Apparent digestibility | ||||||
| DMD (g/100 g) | 57·1 | 56·7 | 56·2 | 55·3 | 0·86 | NS |
| OMD (g/100 g) | 60·0 | 60·4 | 61·5* | 56·6* | 1·35 | 0·07 |
| CPD (g/100 g) | 61·5 | 60·4 | 60·0 | 56·5 | 1·54 | NS |
a,b,c,d Mean values within a row with unlike superscript letters were significantly different (P < 0·05).
*
Displayed a non-significant trend.