The value of ethanol as a supplement to diet of straw, urea and molasses for sheep

Abstract

The experiment was designed to see if any advantage was apparent that would justify the addition of ethanol to sheep diets containing oat straw supplemented with urea and molasses. Four sheep were offered an oat straw diet ad lib. with a molasses urea supplement. The treatment in the 4 x 4 Latin square design experiment consisted of the addition of 0, 4, 8, or 12 g of ethanol daily to the supplement. The following characteristics associated with each diet were measured : digestibility, rate of passage, rate of cellulose digestion in the rumen, food intake, nitrogen balance, and concentration of volatile fatty acids in the rumen. The only significant treatment effect was a faster rate of passage of food residues with the diet containing the highest level of ethanol compared with the diet containing no ethanol.