| Abstract: | The influence of silage juice feeding on the changes in 24 haematological and biochemical parameters in blood (blood serum) and urine of feeder bulls was evaluated in two comparative experiments in which no silage was included in feed rations. The supplement of 2 or 4 litres of juice per 100 kg of live weight represented a daily acidogenous stress of 0.79 to 1.93 moles of organic acids. In the first experiment this supplement was not proved to evoke any significant changes in the evaluated parameters. In the second experiment, in which the silage juices were enriched with sodium chloride, aqueous ammonia solution (26%) and molasses, a statistically significant increase in the level of beta-hydroxybutyric acid in blood and in the corresponding sum of ketone bodies (P less than 0.05 to 0.01) was observed in the experimental group of animals. The levels of sodium in serum were also increased (P less than 0.05). The average weight gains of bulls belonging to the experimental group were higher than those in the control groups. |
