FACTORS AFFECTING FECAL ENDOGENOUS PHOSPHORUS LOSS IN THE SHEEP

Sheep fitted with a ruminal and a duodenal cannula were used to study the effect of dry matter intake and the physical form of the diet on s alivary P secretion and faecal endogenous P loss. At constant low P in take, changing the form of the diet had no effect on either parameter and while increasing dry matter intake did produce small changes in th e partitioning of P excretion between urine and faeces it had no effec t on overall endogenous P loss (faecal endogenous P + urine P) which w as largely determined by P intake.