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Nutritive Value of Sheep Rations Containing Various Levels of Paper^1,2,

Texas Technological College Research Center, Pantex

Abstract

Digestibility studies were conducted with sheep to determine the effects of various levels of office type waste paper fed as a roughage upon the nutritive value of 45% roughage rations. The paper was ground and incorporated into the rations at levels of 0, 15, 30 and 45%, replacing equal parts of Hegari forage sorghum (cane) hay by weight. The last ration contained paper as the only source of roughage. Urea was added to the rations as a nitrogen source when paper replaced each higher level of cane hay. All rations were fed at levels which were entirely consumed up to 1,000 gm. per animal daily during the 7-day adjustment period, then consumption held constant for the 7-day preliminary and collection periods.

Average daily dry matter consumption of the rations containing 15 and 30% paper was equal to the control, and the ration containing 45% paper was consumed at a level of about 95% of the control. Digestibility of the energy components increased with each level of paper up to 30%, then remained almost constant when the paper level was increased to 45%. Crude protein digestibility was improved with 15% paper in the ration, then decreased until the ration containing 45% paper was equal to the control. True protein digestibility increased with the 15% paper ration, then held almost constant at the 30 and 45% levels of paper. Nitrogen retention was higher than the control with both the 15 and 30% paper levels, then decreased when the paper level was increased to 45%.

The results of this study indicate that paper can successfully be used as a roughage source in ruminant rations. Digestibility of the energy components in paper was higher than those in cane hay, and protein digestibility was either improved or not appreciably affected when the various levels of paper were included as a roughage source in the ration.

¹ Approved by the Director of the International Center for Arid and Semi-arid Land Studies, Texas Technological College, Lubbock, Texas, as Contribution No. 68.

² This study was a research problem presented by the senior author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Science degree at Texas Technological College, Lubbock.