The loss of volatile sulfur from sheep

Abstract

The losses of volatile sulfur compounds from sheep were investigated with sheep maintained on a high sulfur ration. The sheep were kept in metabolism cages in a 1-m3 gas-tight chamber with air drawn through the chamber and a trapping bath at a flow rate of 15 l/min. After the intraruminal administration of [35S]sodium sulfate, only minor quantities of 35S were found in the trapping bath over the following 8 h. It was concluded that volatile sulfur loss by eructation is negligible in the overall sulfur balance of the sheep. When [35S]hydrogen sulfide was released in the chamber, 50-80% of the 35S was recovered in the trapping bath in the subsequent 6 h.