INFLUENCE OF HAY QUALITY ON RUMINAL FERMENTATION OF DAIRY COWS ESTIMATED THROUGH GAS PRODUCTION
Valbona Kolaneci
Agricultural University of Tirana, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Department of Animal Production. Kamëz, Tirana, Albania
valbona_kolaneci@yahoo.com
Increased production of high yielding dairy cows requires high levels of feed intake and diets rich in energy and nutrients. High concentrate and low structural fibre proportion in the ration influence digestive processes and can lead to ruminal and metabolic disorders. Since food digestion begins in forestomach, ruminal environment is a deci¬sive factor that has a pronounced effect on the extent of nutrients break down and utilization. The aim of the study is to estimate the effect of hay quality on ruminal fermentation of dairy cows through gas production. Lactating fistu¬lated cows were taken as digesta donor animals. The diets were formulated by combining concentrate with two hay qualities (good and moderate, depended on NDF content). Digesta samples were taken one hour before and 2.5 hours after feeding. The samples were incubated without and with hay, concentrate and cellulose standards in the Gas Test Incubator and the gas volume were read at different hours after incubation. Hay quality showed a strong effect on the gas production. Gas production from blank samples one hour before feeding, by a moderate hay quality was signifi¬cantly higher than by good hay quality, which indicates better fermentation conditions in rumen by feeding fibre rich hay. The influence of hay quality on the digestion of substrates is statistically proved. By feeding rich fibre hay the substrate was better digested, especially hay standard.
Keywords: dairy cows; ruminal fermentation; Gas Test
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