Effect of Delays in Inoculum Collection and Artificial Rumen Digestibilities

Abstract

Range forage samples were digested (in vitro) with rumen inoculum collected after delays of 2, 6, 10, and 14 weeks after the forage collection. Inoculum collected after the 6-week delay gave equivalent forage digestibility values as the 2-week delay; 10-week inoculum delay resulted in digestion values statistically related to but lower than the 2-week delay values. Inoculum collected after a 14-week delay could not be used to estimate range forage digestibility.