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Effect of High Moisture and Dry Ammoniation of Wheat Straw on Its Feeding Value for Lambs^1,2,

US Department of Agriculture, El Reno, OK 73036 and Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Stillwater 74078

Abstract

Two trials were conducted to evaluate ammoniation of wheat straw for improving its feeding value for lambs. In trial 1, four lambs were fed untreated straw, urea, corn and minerals; four lambs were fed untreated straw, soybean meal and minerals and four lambs were fed ammoniated straw, corn and minerals. Lambs ate 22% more ammoniated straw with no effect of supplemental N on untreated straw consumption, digestibility or N balance. Dry matter (DM) digestibility of ammoniated straw (48.4%) was greater (P<.05) than that of the untreated straw (41.6%). In trial 2, wheat straw was 1) chopped; 2) ammoniated in a covered stack and chopped; 3) chopped, moistened to 35% DM, ammoniated, stored in a plastic bag (HMAWS) and fed direct or 4) treated as in 3 but aired to remove free ammonia. Forty ewe and wether lambs were assigned to one of the four types of straws. Each straw was fed ad libitum and all lambs were fed 200 g/d of a supplement containing soybean meal, corn, molasses and minerals. The HMAWS had 52% less hemicellulose than untreated straw. The N content of the stack ammoniated straw was over two times that of untreated straw. Direct fed and aired HMAWS contained 10 and six times as much N as the untreated straw, respectively. Free ammonia was the main N form in all ammoniated straws. Lambs ate 34% more stack ammoniated straw than untreated straw. Consumption of direct fed HMAWS was 46% greater than that of untreated straw and 72% greater when aired (P<.05). The DM digestibility of untreated, stack ammoniated, direct fed HMAWS and aired HMAWS was 39.4, 47.6, 53.1 and 58.4%, respectively, with each value significantly higher than the other. Ruminal fluid pH and ammonia and plasma urea concentrations of lambs fed HMAWS in either form were higher than that of lambs fed untreated or stack ammoniated straw. Plasma ammonia concentrations of lambs were higher for lambs fed aired HMAWS.

¹ Journal Article 4283 of the Agr. Exp. Sta., Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater 74078.

² Portions of this research were supported by Research Agreement No. 58-7B30-9-87 between the USDA (SEA, ARS); Southwestern Livestock and Forage Research Station, El Reno, OK, and the Oklahoma Agr. Exp. Sta.

³ Southwestern Livestock and Forage Research Station, P. O. Box 1199, El Reno, OK 73036.

⁴ Dept. of Anim. Sci.