This study, in which sheep were used as models for beef cattle, was conducted to determine the effect of replacing 100% of rice straw with deepstacked broiler litter(BL) as a roughage source on total tract apparent digestibility, digestible nutrient intake, ruminal and blood parameters, and N balance of sheep. Under the conventional formulated mix-rice straw(60:40) feeding system(control), replacement of rice straw with BL resulted in similar(P>0.05) total tract apparent digestibilities of fiber and organic matter, similar(P>0.05) intake of digestible NDF, ADF and organic matter, and higher(P<0.05) intake of digestible crude protein. Feeding BL instead of rice straw resulted in lower(P<0.05) ruminal pH, higher(P<0.05) NH₃-N concentration and similar(p>0.05) ruminal volatile fatty acid percentage and blood urea concentration. In a N balance study, increased(P<0.05) N intake for the BL-fed group induced higher(P<0.05) quantities(g/d) of fecal and urinary N excretion, bodily N absorption, and N retention.
It was concluded that deepstacked BL fiber was comparable to rice straw fiber as a roughage source and BL protein was also favorably utilized within the body of ruminant.
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