Protein Supplementation of Ammoniated Roughages. III. Corncobs Supplemented with a Blood Meal-Corn Gluten Meal Mixture — Steer Studies

Abstract

Two factorial experiments were conducted to investigate site and extent of organic matter (OM) digestion, nitrogenous fractions flowing at the abomasum and rates-of-passage in steers fed 0, 2 or 4 g NH3/100 g dry matter of treated corncobs supplemented with either a corn or a blood meal-corn gluten meal (BM-CGM) supplement. Rumen and total tract OM digestion coefficients were quadratically increased (P less than .05) and dietary N was quadratically increased (P less than .07) due to the main effect of ammonia. The main effect of protein supplement increased (P less than .05) postruminal OM digestibility, nonammonia N and dietary-N flow. Quadratic protein X ammonia interactions were noted for fluid flow, total-N flow, total amino acid flow and ammonia-N flow. Linear protein X ammonia interactions were noted for bacterial-N flow, which appeared to indicate that N utilization of the ammoniated corn-cob was improved by the inclusion of BM-CGM in the diet. Diet dry matter intake, fluid volume, rate of fluid passage, particulate mass and rate of particulate passage in rumen-fistulated steers were unaffected by either main effect. However, rumen fluid pH of steers fed BM-CGM was lower than that from steers fed the corn supplement.