Surgical procedure of oesophageal cannualation to assess grazing intake in sheep

Assessment of plane of nutrition in grazing animals involves collection of representative samples of the ingested biomass by oesophageal cannula. The present study was designed to fabricate oesophageal cannula and streamlining the surgical procedure for its fixation. The cannula was designed using superior quality polyethylene tubes. The surgical technique for its fixation is discussed. Four adult Malpura rams were surgically fitted with the oesophageal cannula employing the detailed technique. The preliminary study revealed that about 30 percent of digested biomass was extruded into the collection bag which efficiently served the purpose of collecting representative sample of biomass during grazing. It was also evident that about 61 ml of saliva was added to 100g of feed consumed in the oral cavity.