2003 Volume 14 Issue 4 Pages 119-124
The digestibility of nutrients and nutritive values of cereals (barley, corn, naked oat, oat and quinor), oil meals (cotton seed meal, linseed meal and soybean meal), brans (defatted rice bran, wheat bran and wheat bran with flour) and hays (Italian ryegrass and orchardgrass) were determined by the chromic oxide index method in adult male Thoroughbreds. Because the nutritive values of feedstuffs are affected by the processing and producing countries, the effect of processing of feedstuffs, flaking corn, expanding quinor, extruding soybean meal, and chopping hays and countries producing oats were examined. The digestibility of CP in oats was higher, but that of gross energy was lower than that of other cereals. Among oil meals and brans, the digestibility of all nutrients in soybean meal and wheat bran with flour was higher. When long hays were supplied, the digestibility of all nutrients in Italian ryegrass was lower, but when chopped hays were supplied, that in Italian ryegrass hay was similar to that in orchardgrass hay. By flaking corn and expanding quinor, the digestibility of all nutrients except ether extract in corn and CP in quinor was improved. By extruding soybean meal, the digestibility of nitrogen free extract was improved, but the digestibility of CP was not improved. By chopping hays, the digestibility of all nutrients in Italian ryegrass hay was improved, but the digestibility in orchardgrass hay was not affected. Australian oat contained the highest ether extracts and gross energy. Compared to Australian oat, Canadian oat contained the same amount of CP and lower crude fiber, and Hokkaido oat contained lower CP.
