EFFECTS OF HIGH BY-PRODUCT DIETS CONTAINING RICE BRAN AND BEET PULP ON THE SITE AND EXTENT OF DIGESTION AND MICROBIAL SYNTHESIS IN STEERS

The effects of feeding rice bran and beet pulp mixtures on the site and extent of digestion and microbial synthesis in fattening steers were studied. Three Holstein steers fitted with ruminal, duodenal and ileal cannulas were fed four diets in a $4{\times}3$ Youden square design. The four diets consisted of 15% Italian ryegrass hay and 85% concentrate as a control diet which included 72% rolled barley, 20% rice bran plus 40% beet pulp, 30% rice bran plus 30% beet pulp or 40% rice bran plus 20% beet pulp. All diets provided 1.8 times digestible energy required for maintenance. The digestibility of fat in the small intestine (% of flow) showed an increase with rice bran content among the by-product diets. Digestibility of structural carbohydrate both in the rumen and the whole digestive tract decreased linearly with rice bran content. The digestibility of nonstructural carbohydrate was not affected by rice bran content, but that of nonstructural, nonstarch polysaccharides was higher in the rumen and lower in the large intestine for the by-product diets than for the control diet. A rice bran content of more than 30% in the by-product diets severely inhibits ruminal microbial synthesis and digestible energy intake in fattening steers.