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Effects of Time of Day and Monensin on the Size Distribution of Particles in Digestive Tract Sites of Heifers Fed Corn Silage^1,2,

Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, College Station 77843

Abstract

Effects of time of day and dietary monensin on the distribution of size of digesta particles in different digestive tract sites and their intersite relationships were examined in six heifers (290 kg BW) with ruminal, duodenal and ileal cannulas given ad libitum access to corn silage, with or without 100 mg monensin-head^–1d^–1, in a two-period crossover design. Ingestive masticate and digesta of corn silage were collected via esophageal, ruminal or intestinal cannulas. The distribution of particulate matter retained on sieves with apertures larger than 20 µm was determined by wet-sieving. The cumulative distribution of particulate matter on a series of sieves was regressed on retaining sieve aperture to estimate the sieve aperture that would retain 50% weight of the particulate matter (median retaining aperture, MRA). The MRA of masticate was 6,494 µm. The MRA of digesta particles decreased (P < .05) from ventral rumen (1,847 µm) to dorsal rumen (1,797 µm) to duodenum (346 µm), but increased to the rectum (359 µm). The MRA was lower (P = .044) for the monensin treatment only in feces. The MRA of particulate matter in the dorsal and ventral rumen, duodenum and rectum all changed (P < .05) over 24 h. An inverse pattern between the MRA of ruminal and duodenal digesta occurred, presumably the result of a nycterohemeral pattern of eating and ruminating activity. Across sampling times, an inverse relationship existed between MRA of ventral rumen and duodenal digesta. This relationship suggests that a ruminal digesta raft composed of larger particles (immediately following major meals) is more effective than a raft of smaller particles (prior to such meals) in preventing flux of large particles to the duodenum.

¹ Technical article TA 23665 of the Texas Agric. Exp. Sta.

² The authors gratefully acknowledge R. J. Freund, Dept. of Stat., Texas A&M Univ., for statistical recommendations.

³ NATO Postdoctoral Fellow, O.C.D.E. Fellow and currently Charge de Cours at the Universit' Catholique de Louvain, Dept. B.A.P.A., B-1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

⁴ Present address: Dept. of Anim. Sci., North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh 27650.

⁵ Dept. of Anim. Sci.

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