Influence of mass of ruminal contents on voluntary intake and digesta passage in steers fed a forage and a concentrate diet.

To evaluate the influence of mass of ruminal contents on voluntary intake and ruminal function, five ruminally cannulated steers (550 kg) were fed an orchard grass hay diet ad libitum in a 5 x 5 Latin square experiment. The mass of ruminal contents was altered by adding varying weights of modified tennis balls to the rumen before the initiation of each 15-d experimental period. Treatments consisted of 50 balls with a specific gravity of 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, or 1.4; the total weight of the balls was 7.45, 8.50, 9.25, 10.55, and 11.55 kg, respectively. Increasing the specific gravity of the balls added to the rumen decreased DMI and particle passage rate (P < 0.05) in a linear manner. A second experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of mass of ruminal contents on voluntary intake and ruminal function of both forage and concentrate diets. Five ruminally cannulated steers (580 kg) were fed a 70% concentrate (DM basis) or an orchardgrass hay diet ad libitum in a 5 x 5 Latin square experiment. The mass of ruminal contents was altered as in the first experiment. Treatments consisted of 0 balls added to the rumen of steers fed concentrate diet (control), 75 balls with a specific gravity of 1.1 given to steers fed a concentrate diet, 75 balls with a specific gravity of 1.4 given to steers fed a concentrate diet, 75 balls with a specific gravity of 1.1 given to steers fed a hay diet, and 75 balls with a specific gravity of 1.4 given to steers fed hay diet. The addition of balls to the rumen of steers fed the concentrate diet decreased DMI (P < 0.05) compared with the 0-ball treatment, and increasing specific gravity of balls also decreased DMI (P < 0.01) for both concentrate and hay diets. Adding balls to the rumen of steers fed the concentrate diet decreased particle passage rate (P < 0.05), whereas increasing specific gravity of balls decreased particle passage rate for both concentrate and hay diet. The results of this study suggest that the density of ruminal digesta can have an influence on voluntary intake of both forage and concentrate diets.