Department of Animal Health and Husbandry, Uludag University Karacabey Vocational School. Republic of Türkiye
Coresponding author: Dr. Taskin Degirmencioglu. Department of Animal Health and Husbandry, Uludag University Karacabey Vocational School, Karacabey-Bursa, Republic of Türkiye, Tel.+90 224 6768780- Fax: +902246765562-Email: taskin@uludag.edu.tr
The experiment was carried out to determine the effect of NaOH treated wheat grain based diets on degradability of alfalfa hay on rumen profile. Three Kivircik rams fitted with rumen canula were fed with 3 diets containing whole-wheat grain treated with NaOH at 0 (T0), 2.5 (T1) and 3.5 (T2) % levels. Ash content of the diets T1 and T2 was higher than that of diet T0 but cellulose content of these diets was lower than that of diet T0. Diet T2 increased (P<0.05) the degradability of DM and organic matter (OM) of alfalfa hay incubated at 4, 8, 16, 24 and 96 hours. Further, it increased (P <0.01) the pH and lowered (P <0.01) total volatile fatty acids (VFA) levels in rumen fluid without changing the NH3 – N levels. It was determined that diet T1 had much higher fractional rate (c) of the alfalfa hay DM degradability than did the T0 (c=0.043 and 0.034/h, respectively) and this rate was similar to that of diet T2 (0.047).
Wheat grain, NaOH treatment, VFA, Degradability
