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Studies on the Levels of Volatile Fatty Acids for Growing-Fattening Lambs¹

University of Illinois, Urbana

Abstract

A depression in feed consumption and a resultant reduction in average daily gains was found as the percent of salts of VFA's in the diet was increased. When free VFA's were added to the diet, feed consumption and average daily gains were further depressed. From the data it appears that amounts of VFA's necessary for the production of optimum gain cannot be determined by such feeding experiments, due to the depressing effect of both high mineral levels and free VFA's on feed intake.

Butyric acid was not a necessary dietary constituent of VFA mixtures when acetic and propionic acids were supplied in ratios used in this experiment.

Ingested acetic, propionic and butyric acids controlled quite closely the ratios of VFA's found in the rumen. This was particularly true when the animals were defaunated and fed an antibiotic mixture.

¹ This work was supported in part by a research grant from Armour and Co., Chicago, Illinois.

² Present address, Department of Animal Husbandry, Mississippi State University, State College, Mississippi.