Influence of Zinc Deficiency on Dry Matter Digestibility in Ruminants

Abstract

When fed at the same level of intake as normal animals, zinc-deficient calves grew at a much slower rate and required more feed per unit of weight gain. This research was conducted to determine whether a zinc deficiency affected digestibility in goats and calves. Dry matter digestibility of a purified diet was determined with 2 zinc-deficient and 2 control goats in four 7-day total collection periods. A comparable experiment was conducted with calves using three 9-day collection periods. Dry matter digestibilities were not affected by the zinc deficiency. Thus the reduced feed efficiency in zinc-deficient animals is caused by a reduced utilization of digested nutrients.