Effect on digestion by sheep of treatment of silage with a formaldehyde-formic acid mixture

Abstract

Mature Romney wethers, prepared with cannulas in the rumen and proximal duodenum. were used to study the effects of formaldehyde—formic acid treatment of herbage before ensiling, and intraperitoneal infusion of L-methionine, on the digestion of silage. Formaldehyde—formic acid treatment of the herbage pre- served the amino acid-N content of the silage as 90.7% of total-No Untreated silage had an amino acid-N content of 50.9%. The flow of amino acid-N into the duodenum was increased from 6.8 g/day on untreated silage to 10.5 g/day on treated silage. The proportions of individual amino acids in duodenal digesta were unaffected by treatment. Infusion of methionine had little effect on the digestion of the silage.