| Glycerol, a by-product from the manufacture of bio-diesel, has potential for use as a feedstuff for cattle, sheep, and goats. Bermudagrass and wheat are commonly utilized forages, while crabgrass has the potential to be a medium- to high-quality forage used in diets. The objectives of these experiments were to determine the impact of adding different levels of glycerol on intake and digestibility of medium- to high-quality crabgrass/goosegrass hay (basal diet) by meat goats, and to by evaluate the impact of adding four different levels (0, 5, 10, and 20%) of glycerol on in vitro true digestibility and digestion kinetics of wheat, crabgrass, and bermudagrass. Experiment 1 consisted of feeling twenty wether meat goats a basal diet with (1) no supplement, (2) 5% glycerol of total diet, (3) 10% glycerol of total diet, or (4) 10% molasses of total diet. Experiment 2 consisted of determining in vitro true DM digestibility on a mixture of forage and glycerol at four levels (0, 5, 10, 20%) of total DM. The levels of glycerol that were tested did not impact forage intake, and may possibly be used to increase digestibility of medium-quality forages. Glycerol may be included in the total diet at levels up to 20% without having a negative impact on digestibility, however additional research is needed to evaluate the use of glycerol as an energy supplement for ruminants. |
