Abstract:
The experiment investigated rumen degradability of forages and rumen pH in Hereford steers grazing high quality pastures in autumn with no supplement or supplemented daily with whole (WM) or ground (GM) maize grain (1% of body weight). Forage allowance was adjusted each week to provide approximately 5% body weight on a DM basis. Six steers with rumen cannulas were allocated to one of three treatments. Forage dry matter degradability was measured using the nylon bag technique. Supplementation with maize did not affect (P>0.05) degradation rate of forage in the rumen or rumen fluid pH. Rumen fluid pH was more affected by the time of the day by supplementation or type of concentrate offered. It is concluded that neither supplementation nor grinding the maize had a negative effect on the rumen environment of cattle grazing lush pastures during autumn.
