Ingestive behavior of sheep and nutrients digestibility of diet containing soybean hulls

Abstract

Two trials were performed to evaluate the effects of replacing coastcross hay by soybean hulls on ewe lambs ingestive behavior and diet digestibility. In the first trial, forty-eight ewe lambs (23.1 kg initial BW and 124 days old) were assigned to a randomized block design. The control diet contained 50% coarsely chopped coastcross hay and no soybean hulls. In the remaining treatments, soybean hulls replaced hay by 12.5%, 25% or 37.5% on dry matter (DM) basis. Eating and ruminating times were determined every five min during 24 hours. There was a decreased linear effect for ingestive (eating, ruminating and total chewing) behavior as soybean hulls were added to the diet. In the second trial, four Santa Ines ram lambs were arranged in a 4x4 latin square design and fed the same treatments as in the first trial. There was an increased linear effect of soybean hulls on DM, organic matter (OM), NDF and hemicellulose intake and digestibilities. ADF intake also increased linearly. Soybean hulls contains lower NDF physical effectiveness as compared to coastcross hay and its addition up to 37.5% of the diet DM improved OM and DM digestibilities.