Digestibility of Alfalfa Hay and Reed Canary Grass Hay Measured by Two Procedures

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Abstract
Digestibility of the hays was determined by total feces collection procedure and by placing dacron bags filled with hay in the rumen of each cow for 48 hours. Determination of the usual fodder analysis plus cellulose, lignin, pentosans and gross energy showed that the only significant differences in composition were in lignin and pentosans. Canary grass proved more digestible than the alfalfa in all entities determined except protein, nitrogen-free extract, and lignin. Especially significant were the differences in digestibility of fiber and cellulose. The conventional procedure is more reliable than the rumen technique. Development of some rapid method to evaluate hays and simplified methods for determination of lignin and pentosan content in hays would be most beneficial.