**Brawijaya University, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, NUFFIC, P.O. Box 176, Malang, Indonesia
University of PeradeniyaDepartment of Animal Science, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
*Present address : Department of Tropical Animal Production, Agricultural University, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
The DM digestibility (DMD) and DM intake (DMI) of Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) grass was studies at different levels of feeding, thus allowing different degress of selection. The experiment included 8 nonpregnant dry Friesian cows (434 kg) allotted to three different levels of feed offered. DMI increased from 1.3 to 1.8 kg/100 kg BW/d with increasing levels of feed offered. DMD similarly increased from 48% to 59%. This saused the digestible DM intake (DDMI) to be twice as high at the highest level compared to the lowest level of feed offered. The refusal at the lowest level of offered feed was 6 % which waa too low to allow the animal a maximum intake. Measurment of in vivo digestibility and intake of coarse grasses needs to include the effect of selection in the feed.
