Use of a Re-entrant Ileal Fistula to Study Carbohydrate Utilization by the Young Bovine

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Abstract
Four calves were fitted at 3 weeks of age with re-entrant ileal fistulae located about 13 cm orad to the ileo-cecal junction. The calves were fed milk, or milk with sucrose or starch added, at various ages from 1 to 4.5 months. The diet was supplemented with vitamins, trace minerals, and an antibiotic. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was added as a marker. Ileal and fecal samples were taken at zero, 3, 6, 9, and 12 hours after the morning feeding. The utilization of lactose orad to the fistula was high, and digestion in the entire digestive trace was essentially complete. The average apparent digestion of sucrose by the 4 calves was 84%. The recovery of sucrose at the fistula varied with the time of sampling, and was usually highest at 3 and 6 hours after feeding. Limited observations indicated that 87% of the digesta that passed through the fistula in the 12-hour period passed during the 6-hour interim from 1.5 to 7.5 hours after feeding. Based on these data, sucrose digestion orad to the fistula averaged 41% for the 4 calves. Digestion of starch orad to the fistula could not be determined, since the starch did not pass at the same rate as the PEG.