Farm Animal Metabolism and Nutrition

Feed Intake in Ruminants 353

Fig. 16.9.

Relationships between efficiency of ruminal efflux yield of microbial protein, MCPE (ruminal efflux yield of microbial CP per unit

of ruminally hydrolysed

CHO) and mean effective escape rates for undigested neutral detergent fibre,

2 UF

• 
  e

(A), and rates of hydrolysis of potentially hydrolysable fibre, HF

kh

(B), non-

structural carbohydrates, NSC

kh

(C), total hydrolysed carbohydrates, HCHO

kh

(D), and hydrolysed CP, RHP (E) and the ratio RHP:HCHO (F). Results are identified for

lactating (

) and non-lactating (



) ruminants. The large values of MCPE versus daily flux of HCHO and RHP are due to the small body weight of sheep versus cattle.

Variations in MCPE are most highly correlated with flux proportions of RHP:HCHO, especially in forage-fed ruminants, and suggest

s that ruminal degradation

products of dietary CP first limited MCPE.