Effect of single meal supplementation with faba beans and barley fortified with urea on rumen environment and rate of digestion of dry matter and fibre of oaten chaff

Abstract

Oaten chaff, a roughage source for ruminants, is low in crude protein and energy. This can lead to an insufficient supply of these nutrients for rumen microorganisms, which in turn will limit microbial growth efficiency and potentially impair the extent and the rate of digestion of the roughage. Thus provision of nitrogenous and energy substrates to meet the requirement of rumen microbes is of primary importance to improve digestibility of oaten chaff. The present experiment was designed to investigate whether rumen degradation of oaten chaff can be improved by supplementing the animals with different sources of energy and nitrogen.