Twelve Nellore cattle fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas were used to investigate the effects of increasing dietary crude protein level (7, 10, 13, and 15%) on intake, ruminal and total tract digestibility of nutrients, microbial protein synthesis, degradabilities of corn silage, corn starch, and cottonseed meal, and ruminal metabolism. Animals were blocked by sexual category (heifers, bulls and steers averaging 254.8, 285.1, and 265.6 kg of body weight, respectively) and then assigned to one out of three Latin squares. Samples were incubated in the rumen of one animal of each sexual category to estimate ingredient degradability after determination of DM, CP and NDF in the incubation residues. Ruminal fluid was collected before and after-feeding to determine pH and concentration of ammonia while ruminal samples for bacterial isolation were taken 6 hours post-feeding. Blood (BUN) and urine (UU) were also collected for measurement of urea concentration. The degradation rates of DM and CP were both lower in corn silage than on corn starch and cottonseed meal. The interaction sexual condition x dietary crude protein level was not significant for nutrient intake. With the exception of EE and NFC, no other significant effect of dietary CP level was observed for daily intake of nutrients. Increasing dietary CP level affected total tract digestibilities of DM, OM, CP, NDF, and NFC and also resulted in higher concentrations of BUN and UU. A significant dietary crude protein level x collection time interaction was observed for ruminal NH3 but not for ruminal pH. It was concluded that increasing dietary CP levels affected intake and total tract digestibility of most nutrients.
duodenum fistula; nutrient flow; zebu
