— 
— 
=s=— 
2 80 (ag 7 ; 
=, i CUMULATIVE EXCRETION CURVE 
7 Deer —--—— 
we 60 }- Sheep esl 
oe | 
= 40L 4 
< L | 4] 
= 20 ir 
 —— es cae eee ee ee ees ees eee fea 2 SS hee 
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 
TIME AFTER STAINED MEAL (HRS.) 
FicureE 2.—-Cumulative excretion by deer and sheep of timothy hay stained with basic fuchsin and introduced 
directly into the rumen via fistula. 
TABLE 5.—Apparent digestibility of timothy 
hay in experimental deer and sheep, measured 
by total collection 
Item Fistulated Control Fistulated Control 
deer deer sheep sheep 
Percent Percent Percent Percent 
Cellulose - 56.8 55.6 54.6 55.6 
Crude protein 56.0 45.0 52.9 58.9 
Energy ------ 54.5 52.0 53.8 56.1 
During the same trial, the nylon bag method 
was used simultaneously to compare cellulose 
digestion in the two fistulated animals. The 
method used was a modification of that of Lusk 
et al. (1962). The timothy in the bags was 
from the same lot as that fed in the digestion 
trial, but was ground to pass through a 20- 
mesh screen. Other bags contained alfalfa 
from the same lot as that studied in a previous 
trial in which digestibility of ground alfalfa 
and wheat straw was determined when the 
deer and sheep were fed alfalfa pellets. It is 
apparent from the results of this test that di- 
gestibility measured by this method varies con- 
siderably with the diet of the animal, but that 
the ruminal media of deer and sheep on the 
same diet provide similar ability to digest cel- 
lulose (table 6). Of interest, the cellulose of al- 
falfa was more readily digested by both ani- 
54 
mals when the diet was timothy than when the 
diet was alfalfa. 
It is recognized that in these studies only one 
forage was used to test these similarities, and 
that between-species differences may be some- 
what greater with browse diets; however, in 
view of statements made previously as to the 
limited need for precision in evaluation of deer 
foods, it is felt that relative feeding values de- 
termined with sheep may be safely used in ref- 
erence to deer. Also, until further experiments 
have more accurately delineated comparative 
differences between these species, it may be as- 
sumed that most of the general knowledge in 
the area of ruminant nutrition and nutritive 
values of ruminant feeds may be applied in 
deer nutrition. 
_ TABLE 6.—Cellulose digestion in sample 
items in experimental deer and sheep on three 
diets, using the nylon bag method 
Sample item 
Alfalfa Straw Timothy 
Diet Deer Sheep Deer Sheep Deer Sheep 
Percent Percent Percent 
Alfalfa pellets 48.8 50.0 30.9 382.9 pa. 
Timothy hay -° 75.0 70.0 “2... 2 2-¥ 63.4—- 60:0 
Natural. browse: 60:7) 2222 (222%), ape 
