Relationships between organic-matter digestibility, dry-matter intake and solute mean retention times in sheep given a ground and pelleted diet

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Abstract
SUMMARY: The relationships between organic-matter digestibility (OMD), dry-matter intake (DMI) and the mean retention time (MRT) of unabsorbed solutes in the gastrointestinal tract were examined using six fistulated, cross-bred, castrate male sheep. Measurements were made on each sheep at two different DMIs within the range 28–81 g D.m./(day. kg0·75). There were negative, curvilinear relationships between MRTs (both rumen and total) and DMI and positive, curvilinear relationships between OMD and MRTs. As a consequence, there was a negative, rectilinear relationship between OMD and DMI. OMD declined by 0·022 when DMI increased from calculated maintenance to twice maintenance. The proportion of the total MRT accounted for by rumen MRT did not change significantly; the mean value was 0·364 ( ± S.e. 0·010).