INTAKE, DIGESTIBILITY, AND RUMINAL DEGRADABILITY OF SHREDDED HAY

Thirty-two Outaouais intact male lambs averaging 39.1 kg were assigned randomly to a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments consisting of two forages and two methods of harvesting to determine intake and dig estibility. The four treatments fed during the experiment consisted of alfalfa and timothy hays harvested with either a prototype mat maker or a conventional mower conditioner. Hays were fed for ad libitum inta ke for the entire experiment, and data on digestibility and intake wer e collected for 9 d after a 21-d adaptation. Ruminal degradability of DM, N, and ADF of hays was estimated with two fistulated cows using ny lon bags incubated up to 96 h. Harvesting with the prototype mat maker compared with the conventional mower generally increased intake and d igestibility of alfalfa and timothy hays. Ruminal degradability of DM and the potentially degradable fraction of DM and ADF was higher when hay was harvested with the prototype mat maker than with the conventio nal mower. The increased digestibility of hay harvested with the proto type mat maker could be explained by the increased digestibility in th e rumen because harvesting with the prototype mat maker increased the potentially degradable fraction of DM and ADF. These results suggest t hat the digestible energy content of hay was increased by shredding.