Effects of Methionine Hydroxy Analog On Voluntary Intake, Digestibility, Nitrogen-balance, and Chewing Behavior in Sheep Fed Grass-silage

Deswysen, A.G.;Bruyer, DC.;Naveau, C.;Demol, J.;Ellis, WC.
(1991) Journal of Animal Science : leading source of new knowledge and perspectives in animal science — Vol. 69, n° 9, p. 3798-3806 (1991)

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  • Deswysen, A.G.
    Author
  • Bruyer, DC.
    Author
  • Naveau, C.
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  • Demol, J.
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  • Ellis, WC.
    Author
Abstract
Voluntary intake, digestibility, N balance, and chewing behavior of six 6-mo-old (young) and six 30-mo-old (mature) Texel wethers (32.6 and 83.1 kg average BW) given ad libitum access to grass silage and 100 g of top-dressed soybean meal with or without 5 g of methionine hydroxy analog (MHA) in the acid form were examined according to a two-period crossover design. Supplementation level of MHA in the acid form corresponded to .32 and .16 g of MHA/kg BW.75, respectively, in young and mature wethers. There was no effect (P > .10) of MHA on mean voluntary DMI. Methionine hydroxy analog supplementation increased (P < .02) digestibility of DM, OM, and CP by young wethers but not (P > .18) by mature wethers. The MHA decreased eating time (P < .03) in both young and mature wethers and intake level (P = .01) in young wethers during the first 1.5 h of access to grass silage. With MHA, both age groups increased (P < .05) the daily number of meals and decreased (P < .02) the mean duration of each meal. There was no effect (P > .06) of MHA on daily and unitary eating, ruminating, and masticating times; however, mean duration of consecutive rumination bolus cycles was longer (7.2%; P = .01) in young wethers. Young vs mature sheep ate more (53.4 vs 39.3 g of DM/[d.kg BW.75]; P < .001) and had shorter unitary mastication times (P = .001). Results suggest that, depending on its relative level of supplementation, MHA in the acid form could act through both palatability and effects on ruminal metabolism.
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Deswysen, A. G., Bruyer, DC., Naveau, C., Demol, J., & Ellis, WC. (1991). Effects of Methionine Hydroxy Analog On Voluntary Intake, Digestibility, Nitrogen-balance, and Chewing Behavior in Sheep Fed Grass-silage. Journal of Animal Science : leading source of new knowledge and perspectives in animal science, 69(9), 3798-3806. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/137618 (Original work published 1991)