Variation in the Excretion of Chromic Oxide by Ruminants

Abstract

When hay and concentrate containing chromic oxide were given at 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. or at 7-hour and 17-hour intervals, only 1 peak of chromic oxide occurred in the daytime. Two of 4 animals showed a highly significant difference between concentration of chromic oxide in the feces of 1 day and the next. When the concentrate containing chromic oxide was fed alone, the chromic oxide excretion curves were roughly similar to those when concentrate and hay were fed. When the feed was fed at 12-hour intervals, 2 peaks appeared in the excretion of chromic oxide. Daily variation of chromic oxide excretion was examined, and it was found that variation was a normal occurrence, amounting to about 10%.