Characteristics of manipulated ruminal environment using buffers in lactating Barbari goats

Present investigation is an attempt to study the effect of buffer (sodium bicarbonate and magnesium oxide) on rumina! environment of lactating Barbari goats. Twenty Barbari lactating does were allotted to four treatment groups of 5 each on the basis of their phenotypic and productive features. They were offered a basal diet legume roughage, concentrate and mineral mixture as per NRC Feeding Standard. The basal diet were supplemented with buffers (mixture of sodium bicarbonate and magnesium oxide in 2: 1 parts) at 4 levels i.e. 0, 0.75, 1.50 and 2.25 per cent of the DM intake assumed to be 4% of LW. The ruminal studies involved the determination of pH, different fractions of nitrogen and the volatile fatty acid at 0, 2, 4 and 6 h of feeding collecting the rumen liquor by the stomach tube aspiration method. The trial was started after 21 days of preliminary feeding period and lasted for 5 consecutive days. The data generated in the experiment were statistically treated. Results indicated that increasing trends for increment due to increased level of buffer in four treatments in rumen liquor of Barbari goats were observed with regard to total volatile fatty acids, acetates, isobutyrate, total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen content and A:P ratio and pH and decreasing pattern in the same were recorded in terms of content of butyrate propionate, valerate and acidity whereas content of isovalerate did not present any specific pattern in the rumen. During different periods the content of all the above parameters were non-significant among all the treatments except total nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen which were increased with the increased interval. After feeding, fiberolytic and proteolytic activities were continuously increasing with the increasing dose of buffer and interval after feeding.