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Comparative Digestibility of Nutrients in Roughages by Cattle and Sheep¹

Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Gainesville

Abstract

In a series of digestion trials, wethers, steers and cows were maintained in the same environment and were fed 17 different rations: two of oat silage, four of corn silage and 11 of coastal Bermudagrass hay. There were highly significant correlations (r) between cattle and sheep digestion coefficients for dry matter (0.86), protein (0.77), crude fiber (0.95), NFE (0.87), ether extract (0.83), energy (0.85) and TDN content (0.89) when all 17 rations were averaged; however, grass hay of low quality or low protein content was digested better by sheep than by cattle. Variation among individual animals appeared slightly greater for sheep than for cattle.

¹ Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. 1315.

² Assistant Professor, Present address: Middle Tennessee State College, Murfreesboro; Associate Animal Nutritionist, Depart of Animal Science; Assistant Animal Husbandman, Present address: Department of Animal Husbandry, Iowa State College, Ames; and Associate Professor of Statistics, Agronomy Department.