The relationship between voluntary intake and mean apparent retention time in the rumen

Abstract

The relationship between mean apparent retention time of dry matter in the reticulorumen (RD, hr) and the daily voluntary dry matter intake (ID, g/day) of six dried panicum diets was determined on sheep which were offered fresh feed every hour. RD was measured by emptying the reticulorumen via a large rumen fistula. ID for the six diets by the sheep with fistulae was slightly higher than, and correlated (r = 0.99, P < 0.001) with, that previously found when the same diets were offered to intact sheep. ID varied from 659 to 1355 g/day and RD from 13.3 to 27.1 hr. These two factors were inversely related: