Digestive characteristics, ammonia nitrogen and volatile fatty acids levels, in sheep fed oaten chaff supplemented with grimmett barley grain, freeze-dried or fresh barley sprouts

Abstract

About 4 treatments (control, fresh barley sprouts, freeze-dried barley sprouts and barley grain supplementation) were used in a latin square design. Oaten chaff basal diet was used in testing the assertion that hydroponic barley sprouts gave better animal performance than the grain supplement. Results showed increase in DM intake on supplementation, there were differences (p<0.001) among treatments in DM intake. The increased intake due to sprouts supplementation however, did not translate to better digestibility, microbial outflow and nitrogen retention. Total ammonia concentration was higher (p<0.001) for the fresh barley sprouts supplements than for the barley grain and control suggesting that poor quality roughage yields more rumen ammonia when supplemented with fresh hydroponic barley sprouts. The total ammonia concentration did not however, differ (p>0.05) between the fresh or freeze-dried hydroponic barley sprouts. The total VFA concentrations were higher for the freeze-dried and fresh hydroponic barley sprouts than the control but not different (p>0.05) from the barley grain supplementation in the current study. This suggests that sprouting did not give rise to a higher VFA concentration when poor quality roughage was supplemented. It was concluded from this study that supplementing poor quality roughage (oaten hay) with hydroponic barley sprouts increased DMI and total rumen ammonia concentration. However, there was no confirmation of the presence of a grass juice factor purported to be present in sprouts which gives increased performance. © Medwell Journals, 2010.