トウモロコシサイレージのヒツジにおける利用性について

The nutritive value of corn silages was examined in digesion and nitrogen balance trials using sheep fed the silage alone at about 2.o% level of dry matter (DM) per kg body weight which conducted during 3 consecutive years. The results obtained were as follows;
1. The apparent digestibilities of nutrients tended to be higher in silage feeding than in feeding of timothy hay as a control roughage, although there was a little difference of the values among silages.
2. Urinary nitrogen excretion tended to be high in feeding of silage compared with that in hay feeding, and consequently, negative nitrogen balance was observed in silage feeding although nitrogen intake was almost similar in both feedings of silage and hay.
3. Ruminal ammonia concentration was fairly higher in silage feeding than in hay feeding, and the level of VFAs in rumen fluid was almost the same in both feedings of silage and hay.
4. The concentrations of glucose and urea nitrogen in the blood were almost similar in both feedings of silage and hay, and the plasma protein level was also similar in the feedings of silages and hay.
From the obtained results, it was obviously concluded that ensiled corn can be utilized as a roughage feed in sheep as well as in cattle which have been accepted generally.