Effects of dietary carbohydrates and buffering capacity on nutrient digestibility and manure characteristics in finishing pigs.

A 2 x 3 factorial experiment was conducted with 24 finishing pigs (Yorkshire x [Finnish Landrace x Dutch Landrace]) to determine the effects of dietary buffering capacity (BC) and carbohydrate sources on apparent total tract digestibility (TD), N retention, and manure characteristics. Twelve of these pigs were fitted with steered ileo-cecal value cannulas to measure the apparent ileal digestibility (ID) of N. Experimental variables were two levels of BC (High = 600 mEq/kg and Low = 530 mEq/kg) and three dietary carbohydrates (tapioca [28%], soybean hulls [25%], and sugar beet pulp [25%]).

The effects of calcium benzoate in diets with or without organic acids on dietary buffering capacity, apparent digestibility, retention of nutrients, and manure characteristics in swine.

Eight barrows (Yorkshire x [Finnish Landrace x Dutch Landrace]), initially 30 kg BW, were fitted with ileal cannulas to evaluate the effects of supplementing Ca benzoate (2.4%) and organic acids (OA) in the amount of 300 mEq acid/kg feed on dietary buffering capacity (BC), apparent digestibility and retention of nutrients, and manure characteristics. Swine were allotted in a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement of treatments according to a cyclic (8 x 5) changeover design.

Transfer of Cs-137 from grass and wilted grass silage to milk of dairy cows.

Deposition of radiocaesium from the Chernobyl reactor accident on the Netherlands made it possible to collect contaminated fresh grass and first cut wilted grass silage. These contaminated roughages were used in transfer experiments with lactating dairy cows to determine transfer coefficients and half-lives for Cs-137 in milk. The experimental design was based on three consecutive periods: a preliminary period to determine the background concentration of the isotope in milk, a contamination period to determine the magnitude of accumulation and finally a depletion period to measure the rate at which the activity concentration of Cs-137 in milk declined after continuous feeding.