Interrelationships between the factors influencing the intake and digestibility of forage by ruminants

Abstract

Intake is more important than digestibility as a criterion for animal performance. Digestibility, however, has a controlling influence on intake. High digestibility of feed goes with high intake so that voluntary intake of a feed is an index of its nutritive worth. Intake is critically influenced by the amount of feed available and both intake and digestibility of forage are influenced by other management factors such as species and the stage of maturity. Digestibility is negatively correlated with ageing, but ageing is positively correlated with yield so that the most economical growth period before harvest for the farmer is a compromise between digestibility and yield.