Investigating Digestion Patterns in Buffaloes Fed Different Diets: A Comprehensive Assessment Invest

Buffalo have unique digestive and metabolic physiology. Despite extensive research on buffalo, a comprehensive evaluation of the nutritional profiles of various feed sources and the metabolism of CP and EE in buffalo feces remains largely uncharted. This study aimed to investigate the digestion patterns in buffaloes fed different diets. Three adult buffaloes were randomly selected from 89 buffaloes as experimental animals. the diets included alfalfa hay, oat hay, whole corn silage, sugarcane shoot silage, fresh king grass, dried rice straw, and five mixed diets with concentrate to roughage ratios of 20:80, 35:65, 50:50, 65:35, and 80:20. The animals were fed the respective diets for 22 days. Intake, nutrient composition, and fecal output were determined, allowing for the calculation of apparent digestibility for each diet. Net output was then calculated based on dietary intake and fecal output. Equation simulations were conducted using nutrient composition and diet digestibility. Findings remained negligible that whole corn silage had the highest total intake and apparent digestibility of DM, respectively is 9.13 kg/d, 65.03%. Among the roughage groups, the straw group exhibited the lowest feed intake of 5.67 kg/d, 55.63% respectively. Additionally, the experimental group with a thewire of 80:20 displayed the lowest feed intake for only 6.4 kg/d, and a drop in weight. The metabolized CP and EE of DM per 1 kg excreted were 49.61 g and 6.27 g, respectively. Simulated equations were established to estimate the apparent digestibility of single or multiple nutrients, providing valuable references for studying buffalo digestion and metabolism.