Comparing the effect of different barley levels feeding accompanied with soybean meal and urea on nutrients digestibility, rumen pH and ammonia concentration in sheep

The present study was investigated two different nitrogen sources (soybean meal and urea), accompanying with two different barley grain levels on nutrients digestibility, rumen pH and rumen ammonia nitrogen in sheep nutrition. Four rumen cannulated sheep with 4 months ages and averaging BW 35.5 ± 1.4 kg were allocated in a 4×4 change over design. Experimental diets were as: 1- 38.96% barley grain with urea, 2- 49.05% barley grain with urea, 3- 29.58% barley grain with soybean meal and 4- 40.65% barley grain with soybean meal. The results showed that rumen pH was differed among treatments on 2 and 5 h after feeding (P< 0.05). The results showed that the greatest pH value was for treatment 1 (6.50) on h 2 and the lowest was for treatment 2 5.98) on h5 after feeding. The concentration of rumen ammonia also was differed among treatments in all sampling times except than of for h 5 after feeding (P< 0.05). The OM and cell wall digestibilities were significantly differed among treatments which the greatest digestibility of OM and cell wall were for treatments 4 (66.8%) and 3 33.6%), respectively (P< 0.05). Overall, it could be concluded that the rumen ammonia concentration was influenced by both protein source and barley level feeding and using soybean meal caused to less ammonia nitrogen concentration in rumen. Moreover, nutrients digestibility was influenced by nitrogen sources and hence digestibility values were highest in diets containing soybean meal.