Estimating Digestible Energy from Digestible Dry and Organic Matter in Diets of Grazing Cattle

Abstract

Regression equations for six methods of expressing the relationship between digestible energy and digestible dry or organic matter were developed from digestion trials conducted with cattle grazing native range forage. Concentrate feeds supplemented the grazing animal's diet in some trials. The results of this study indicated that the laborious determination of digestible energy could be replaced by a simple determination of digestible dry or organic matter. Supplementation with concentrates did not change the relationship between digestible energy and digestible dry or organic matter.