[The digestibility of unprocessed beech sawdust and its effect on the utilization of food by goats and rams]. / Strávitel'nost neupravených bukových pilín a ich vplyv na vyuzitie krmnej dávky u kôz a skopov.

Trials were performed with wethers and goats to study the effect of non-conditioned beech sawdust (NBS) on the digestibility of nutrients and energy in granular diets. Besides this, the effect of the administration of different diets on the digestibility of NBS was studied by the in vitro method after Méllenberger et al. (1970). NBS was used in diets for replacing hay at the rates of 0, 5, 10 and 20%. The inclusion of NBS in diets reduced nutrient and energy digestibility in diets given to wethers and goats; the larger the proportion of NBP, the higher the reduction. Goats showed higher values of nutrient and energy digestibility than wethers. The digestibility of NBS dry matter determined by the in-vitro method increased with higher NBS proportions in diets, as found from rumen fluid sampled from wethers and goats fed different diets.

[The effect of unprocessed beech sawdust on rumen fermentation in rams and goats]. / Vplyv neupravených bukových pilín na bachorovú fermentáciu skopov a kôz.

In a trial with wethers and goats the effect of non-conditioned beech sawdust (NBS) was studied as exerted on ammonia concentration, total VFA concentration, molar VFA percentage, energetic yield of VFA production, on the acetate : propionate ratio in rumen contents, and on urea concentration in blood. NBS was used in diets to replace bulk forage. The proportions of NBS in diets were 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% (replacing hay). The results of the trials show that the administration of the different diets did not affect the concentration of ammonia and total VFA in the rumen content and the concentration of urea in blood. Goats showed an insignificant increase in the molar percentage of acetic acid, a decrease in the molar percentage of propionic acid and n-butyric acid when diets with gradated NBS proportions were administered, as well as an insignificant increase in the acetate : propionate ratio and a decrease in the energetic yield of VFA. In wethers the values of propionic and n-butyric acid were highly variable, which implied variation also in the acetate : propionate ration or in the energetic yield of VFA in the administration of different diets.