The effect of branched chain fatty acids and fishmeal on voluntary intake by young cattle offered grass silage

Fishmeal addition to grass silage generally improves growth in young cattle, but the response in terms of silage intake is more variable. Where there is a positive response in intake, this would appear to be partially attributabl to a ruminal effect whereby fishmeal increases rumen digestion. Degradation of fishmeal in the rumen may lead to the production of branched chain volatile acids (BCVA) which have been shown to increase fibre digestion (Gorosito et al. 1985). The experiment reported here was undertaken to compare the effect of BCVA and fishmeal supplementation on silage intake.