Although overall intake figures were high, critical levels (~400 g/kg DM) of unmolassed sugar beet pulp (USBP) inclusion suppressed dry matter intake (DMI) in ponies by up to 35% when included in complete pelleted diets made with dried grass (Hyslop, 2002). Dulphy et al (1997) have concluded that horses consume straw-based forages at lower levels than grass or legume-based forages. Given this observation with straw based diets, the objective of this study was to examine DMI, in vivo apparent digestibilities and nutritive values in ponies offered pelleted complete diets made from ground wheat straw and containing USBP at inclusion levels between 400 – 800 g/kg DM.

Irish livestock production systems are characterised by the high utilization of grazed grass combined with minimal supplementary feeding. As such the options to reduce methane (CH4) production, particularly for beef animals, is limited to the finishing period when diet can be controlled and varied. No data is available regarding the methanogenic potential of differing grass cultivars. This study assessed CH4 output, as measured in vitro, of six ryegrass cultivars, with the aim of quantifying the potential for enteric CH4 emissions to be reduced from ruminants grazing ryegrass dominant swards.

Increasing animal productivity increases daily enteric methane (CH4) emissions but reduces CH4 output per unit of animal production. Irish livestock production systems are characterised by a high dependence on grazed pasture. Increased nitrogen (N) fertiliser application can increase animal productivity through increased intake. The objective of this trial was to assess the effect of N level application and pasture maturity on in vitro methane production.

Legume forages, because of the tubular and hollow stem structure, low soluble sugar content and high buffering capacity are less likely to undergo otpimal fermentation. Therefore, response to silage additives (such as formic acid) or preservatives may be great with legume forages. This study was conducted to evaluate the DM and protein digestibility of lucerne hay or lucerne silage treated with urea and/or sulphuric acid using mobile nylon bag technique.

Recently, in Iran, increasing surplus of whey, a by-product of cheese producing plants are becoming an environmental problem and this is due to dairy development programs. Whey dumped into the plant disposal systems insert a high pollution load to the environment. Whey is a valuable source of carbohydrates, a good supply of energy and contains high quality protein and minerals. Options such as condensation and/ or fractionation also dehydration are too costly, and requires high technology. Finding an alternative method for preserving and using of whey could reduce the environmental risks, cost and associated difficulties. The use of liquid whey has been used for many years as a supplemental feed for ruminants. Like molasses, liquid whey can be a carrier of non-protein nitrogen components such as urea or ammonium salts to make crude protein supplements (Khattab et al. 2000). Therefore, the objective of the present study was to find a simple method to preserve and improve the utilisation of fresh whey in animal nutrition as well as a desirable way to reduce environmental pollution.

Fungal treatment has been recently considered as a promising method for improving the nutritive value of straw (Zadrazil et al., 1997). Several studies have been conducted to identify species of white-rot fungi for assessing their ability to improve the nutritive value of straw (Yamakamwa et al., 1992). Since there are many species of fungi in nature, there is an interest in characterising of some species. The objectives of this experiment were to study the effect of five Pleurotus fungi on the chemical composition, in vitro digestibility and in sacco degradability of wheat straw and evaluate their effect in upgrading the nutritive value of lignicellulosic materials.

Oat hulls are a byproduct of the oat processing industry. Nutritionally, oat hulls are high in fiber, low in protein and are comparable to cereal straw as a feedstuff. As such, they are only suitable for ruminant feed. Due to the large supply, it is economically important to improve the nutritional qualities of this byproduct. Oat hulls contain hydroxycinnamic acids, which are covalently cross-linked to polysaccharides by ester bonds and to components of lignin mainly by ether bonds. These cross-links are a barrier to biodegradation and limit cell-wall degradability by rumen microorganisms. It is believed that these hydroxycinamic acids are among the factors most inhibitory to the biodegradability of plant cell wall polysaccharides.

Feed shortage is the greatest obstacle to Iranian livestock industry. Historically, crop residues mainly cereal straw has been very important feed resources for ruminants during late summer and cold seasons in Iran. The digestibility and voluntary feed intake of these fibrous residues are quite low. The feeding value of fibrous co-products can be upgraded by chemical treatment (Galletti, 1991). Norea as a cheap locally produced alkali containing mainly lime and sulphur with higher solubility. Although the alkali is used for removing superfluous hair in human hygiene but it might also be effective for cell wall degradation in fibrous feeds. There was no any information on utilization of this alkali. Therefore, the reason for undertaking this experiment was to test this suggestion.

With respect to human health, nutritional guidelines emphasise on increasing the ratio poly-unsaturated/saturated fatty acids (P/S) (> 0.7) and reducing the n-6/n-3 ratio (< 5). Beef is generally characterised by a low P/S ratio (0.1), while the n-6/n-3 ratio may vary between 2 and 10 depending on the feeding strategy. Hence, the provision of n-3 fatty acids by the diet is crucial for optimising the fatty acid composition of meat. However, PUFA are hydrolysed and subsequently hydrogenated in the rumen to more saturated fatty acids and intermediates that are absorbed from the intestinal tract and transported to the tissues. Lipolysis and hydrogenation may thus affect the meat fatty acid composition. For ruminants, important sources of linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) are linseed and fresh grass. Prior to use in animal nutrition, linseed needs physical treatment like extrusion or crushing. The aim of the present in vitro experiment was to study lipolysis and biohydrogenation of linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) and C18:3n-3 in fresh grass and extruded or crushed linseed products.

Use of grass/forage tree silages have prove to be a viable alternative for animal production in the tropics (Sol et al., 2002a,b). It is also an adequate strategy to cope with seasonal fluctuation of biomass availability (both grass and forage tree). However, limited data is available on the nutritive value (e.g. digestibility, energy content) of this mixtures. Therefore, the objective of the present work was to evaluation the in vitro gas production, apparent digestibility and energy content of silages containing grass and forage trees.

Silage is recognized as a viable option to cope with seasonal fluctuations in forage availability. Due to the reduced nutrient contents (N and soluble CHO’s) of tropical grasses, the resulting silage is usually of low quality. This factor plays a major role in the adoption of this technology by farmers in developing countries. The inclusion of forage trees to improve the nutritive value of silage is seen as a viable alternative, as forage trees are locally available and farmers are increasingly implementing its use as supplement. Silage resulting from grass/tree mixtures might allow reduced use of conventional grain-based supplement without jeopardizing animal performance (Sol et al., 2002a,b). However, few data is available about adequate inclusion levels of forage tree and grass for silage making. Thus, the objective of the present work was to assess changes in silage quality associated with the inclusion level of forage tree.

Spring excess of temperate pastures are usually ensiled by Uruguayan farmers. The purpose of this work was to study changes in the ruminal N degradability during wilting and silage fermentation of farm forages in Uruguay.

Mistletoes are common parasitic plants that attach on branches of Acacia species, Boscia albitrunca, Ziziphus mucronata and other trees of semi-arid Botswana. These plants form an interesting alternative and additional feed resource, which could increase both mineral and protein intake of ruminants. Previous studies (Madibela et al., 2000, 2002) have shown that these parasitic plants have high crude protein and mineral levels than what is expected of natural grasses. The hypothesis is that the higher the nutritive value of host browse trees the higher it is in the parasitic plants.

In Iran, East Azerbaijan province is the most important farm animal production area and alfalfa hay, barley grain, wheat straw are the most common ingredients of animal rations. Organic matter and minerals content of forages and grains can be influenced markedly by climate, soil and fertilizer treatment, growth stage and agronomic factors in a given area. Therefore, it is necessary that the chemical composition of forages and grains, which are produced under climate and agronomic condition of Azerbaijan, for using in formulating balance rations, were determined. The objectives of present study were to determine chemical composition and some macro elements of alfalfa hay, barley grain and wheat straw in Azerbijan.

Biological methods are more meaningful since microorganisms and enzymes are more sensitive to factors influencing the rate and extent of digestion than are chemical methods (Getachew and et al,1997).Gas measurements provides a useful data on digestion kinetics of both soluble and insoluble fractions of feedstuffs. The objective of this experiment was to determine nutritive value evaluation of heat-treated cottonseed with in vitro gas production.

The content of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) in plants is variable, and depends on plant species and environment conditions. This content may be the limitation for the fermentation during silage making and also for microbial synthesis in rumen. The objective of this study was to measure the variations of the WSC in temperate forages, during autumn, in different moments of the day and in different parts of the plant.

Protein is one of the most expensive portion of a broiler chicken diet. Overfeeding of protein may reduce broiler production profit as well as polluting soil through extra nitrogen excretion. Many attempts have been made to reduce dietary crude protein (CP) level with no adverse effect on broiler performance, as a result protein per se is no longer a requirement for growing chicken. Controversial results have been published with regard to lowering dietary CP level. The purpose of these studies was to pinpoint out the lowest possible dietary protein level when supplemental indispensable amino acids are maintained in a practical corn-soy diet.

Use of bakery waste in animal nutrition is a way to reduce feed cost and environmental pollution. Large quantities of bakery waste are produced in Iran. It is possible to replace wheat with bakery waste in poultry rations. Bakery waste has a considerable moisture and carbohydrate and might be polluted with mold and mycotoxins. The presence of mycotoxins in ration may lead to increase mortality and decrease performance of broiler chickens. To reduce the possible adverse effects of mycotoxin, zeolite (clinoptilolite) has used in poultry diets successfully (Oguz and Kurtoglu 2000). It acts as an adsorbent and reduces bioavailability of mycotoxin in gastrointestinal tract. The objective of this experiment was to use bakery wastes in broiler chicken rations and to study its effect on performance and role of zeolite in decreasing possible adverse effects of bakery wastes.

Heat stress is a major concern of the broiler industry due to the resulting decreased growth, feed intake and increased FCR ratio and mortality (Cooper and Washburn, 1998). Heat exposed birds decrees feed intake in order to reduce metabolic heat production and maintain hometheremy, resulting in slower growth. Genetic variation in responses to heat stress has been shown to exist between breeds (Yalcin, et al., 1997). The dual feeding program may have transitory effects on heat production during the heat stress (De Basilio et al., 2001). The aim of this research was to evaluate the response of broiler performance when a two different type of diet were offered during the heat stress.

One method of reducing feed cost is to restrict the feed in the early life of broilers. In this regard, Fontana et al. (1992) reported that early feed restriction programs in their experiments proportionally reduced the consumption of the starter diets by an average of 22% in restricted broilers when compared with controls. Energy restriction has also been shown to result in a reduction in metabolic energy loss leading to a reduced requirement for maintenance. If during refeeding, this low requirement is maintained and if growth resumed at a normal or above normal rate (compensatory growth), feed efficiency would be substantially improved, leading to an economical advantage. This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of severity of diet dilution (energy and protein) and duration of early feed restriction on feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of male broiler chickens.