Daily Salivary Secretion by Beef Steers

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Abstract
A total daily mixed saliva secretion was determined when two rations were fed to four steers with esophageal and ruminal fistulas. The total daily salivary production ranged from 38 to 68 liters per day on Bermudagrass-corn and from 25 to 51 liters per day on alfalfa pellets. A 26% decrease (P<.01) in total daily mixed salivary secretion was observed when the animals were switched from the Bermudagrass-corn ration to alfalfa pellets. A significant (P<.01) difference was observed between eating and resting collection periods. The steers secreted two and four-tenths to three and three-tenths times more saliva per hour while eating than while resting. The mean resting salivary secretion was about 500 ml./hr. greater on the Bermudagrass-corn ration than on the alfalfa pellets. The overall total mixed salivary secretion rate on an hourly basis appeared to be fairly uniform throughout the entire 24-hr. period: however, secretion during the hour between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. was significantly (P<.05) lower than for the hours 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 to 4:00 a.m. Copyright © 1965. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1965 by American Society of Animal Science

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