The utilization of diets containing acetate salts by growing lambs as measured by comparative slaughter and respiration calorimetry, together with rumen fermentation.

1. In a comparative slaughter experiment, growing lambs were given concentrate diets in which 14 or 19% metabolizable energy (ME) provided by barley was replaced by sodium, calcium and potassium salts of acetic acid. As the proportion of ME as acetate was increased, energy retention decreased. ME intake was 9271, 9430, and 9217 +/- 67 kJ/d and energy retention was 2698, 2422 and 2280 +/- 71 kJ/d for the diets containong 0, 14 or 19% ME as acetate respectively. There were no differences in protein deposition. The efficiency of utilization of acetate for energy retention (kf) was calculated by difference to be 3 and 10 +/- 13% respectively for the diets containing 14 and 19% ME as acetate.