Comparative Study On The Effects Of Drinking Formalin On Digestion And Metabolism Of Rumen In Sheep In Corn Stalk-based Diet

4 of Xinjiang Merino sheep, with body weight of 35 Kg and with the canula in rumen and duodenum, were designed as 4×4 Latin squares, to study the effect of drinking formalin on the digestion and metabolism of rumen. The results showed that when the animals were orally given formalin with 0, 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5ml/day respectively, the average concentrations (AC) of ammonia nitrogen in rumen were 26.1±2.0, 24.4±2.1, 23.6±2.9 and 21.8±2.0 mg/100ml g/sheep/d, the AC of acetic acid were 64.92±3.81,65.21±3.38,66.17±3.25and 66.46±3.35 mmol/L g/sheep/d respectively, the AC of propionic acid were 15.29±0.64,16.21±0.34,17.61±0.98and 17.98±1.21 mmol/L respectively, the AC of butyric acid were 10.43±0.83,10.64±0.70,11.30±0.83and 11.52±0.99 mmol/L respectively, the AC of total VFA were 90.64±5.06,92.06±3.81,94.66±4.14and 95.95±5.86 mmol/L g/sheep/d respectively, and the average amounts of protozoan in rumen were 71.7±1.7,52.9±13.7,47.5±15.7 and 40.3±18.5(×104/ml) g/sheep/d。The OM disappearance from rumen was 510.1±63.9, 594.1±83.8, 628.3±62.9 and 634.4±76.4 g/sheep/d respectively, the cellulose digestibility from rumen was 53.1±3.8, 61.1±3.2, 66.2±17.3 and 64.5±7.2% respectively,the crude protein arriving duodenum was 82.3±6.0, 87.3±3.8, 96.1±6.9 and 97.8±3.6g/sheep/d respectively, the microbial protein arriving duodenum was 64.8±2.5,64.6±9.5,61.3±7.8 and 60.2±7.1g/sheep/d respectively, and the bypass protein was 16.1±4.3, 20.5±11.0, 32.9±13.2 and 35.6±4.9g/sheep/d respectively. It is concluded that drinking formalin would increase the intake of corn straw by sheep, decrease the concentrations of the ammonia nitrogen, has tendency of increase the acetic acid and propionic acid, therefore the total VFAs in rumen, and increase the amount of protozoan. Drinking formalin would increase the OM disappearance from rumen, the crude protein and bypass protein arriving duodenum, with the tendency of decreasing microbial protein arriving duodenum. It is considered that drinking 1 ml of formalin (twice a day) is a suitable dose to improve the digestion and metabolism of rumen of sheep.