Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Rumen Microbial Population Dynamics During Adaptation To A High-Grain Diet, Samodha C. Fernando, H. T. Purvis Ii, F. Z. Najar, L. O. Sukharnikov, C. R. Krehbiel, T. G. Nagaraja, B. A. Roe, Udaya Desilva

Samodha C. Fernando Publications

High-grain adaptation programs are widely used with feedlot cattle to balance enhanced growth performance against the risk of acidosis. This adaptation to a high-grain diet from a high-forage diet is known to change the rumen microbial population structure and help establish a stable microbial population within the rumen. Therefore, to evaluate bacterial population dynamics during adaptation to a high-grain diet, 4 ruminally cannulated beef steers were adapted to a high-grain diet using a step-up diet regimen containing grain and hay at ratios of 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, and 80:20. The rumen bacterial populations were evaluated at each stage of the step-up …