Journal of Animal Science, Vol 79, Issue 5 1322-1328, Copyright © 2001 by American Society of Animal Science

JOURNAL ARTICLE

The effect of dietary nitrogen and protein on feed intake, nutrient digestibility, and nitrogen flux across the portal-drained viscera and liver of sheep consuming high-concentrate diets ad libitum

C. L. Ferrell, H. C. Freetly, A. L. Goetsch and K. K. Kreikemeier
Roman L. Hruska U. S. Meat Animal Research Center, USDA, ARS, Clay Center, NE 68933-0166, USA. ferrell@email.marc.usda.gov

Our objectives were to determine the influences of supplemental nonprotein N or protein on feed intake, digestibility, and postabsorptive N metabolism in sheep fed a high-concentrate diet for ad libitum consumption. Nine Romanov-sired, crossbred wethers (13 mo old; 52 kg) were fitted with catheters in a mesenteric artery, mesenteric vein, portal vein, and hepatic vein. Wethers consumed a 95% concentrate diet ad libitum. Treatments consisted of control (no supplemental N; 6.6% CP) or supplemental urea (11.4% CP), soybean meal (SBM; 11.2% CP) or ruminally undegradable protein (BFM; 11.2% CP; 50:50 blood meal and feather meal). Intake or apparently digested intake of DM, OM, and energy did not differ between control and N-supplemented (P > 0.40), or between urea- and protein-supplemented (P > 0.40), but were greater (P < 0.05) in SBM- than in BFM-supplemented wethers. Intake and apparently digested intake of N were less (P < 0.01) in wethers fed the control diet than in those receiving N supplementation but were less (P = 0.03) in BFM- than in SBM-supplemented wethers. Neither portal nor hepatic venous blood flows differed (P > 0.15) among treatments. Net portal release and hepatic uptake of alpha-amino N and ammonia N and hepatic release of urea N were greater (P < 0.05) in wethers supplemented with N than in controls, but portal-drained viscera (PDV) uptake of urea N did not differ (P > 0.40) among diets. Splanchnic release of a-amino N and ammonia N did not differ from 0 or among diets (P > 0.10), but net release of urea N was less (P = 0.05) for control than for sheep receiving N supplementation. No differences (P > 0.10) in blood concentration within vessel or net flux across PDV, hepatic, or splanchnic tissues of alpha-amino N, ammonia N, or urea N were observed among wethers receiving supplemental N. Net uptake of oxygen by the PDV did not differ among diets, but hepatic uptake was less (P < 0.05) in control and urea-supplemented sheep than in sheep receiving SBM or BFM. These observations suggest that the source of supplemental N had no large effects on the overall N economy of the animals used in this study.

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