The effect on the rumen composition of feeding sheep diets supplying different starches. II. The partition of nitrogen, pH, volatile fatty acids, protozoal numbers, enzymic activity and certain other chemical constituents

Three fistulated cross-bred sheep were fed diets which consisted solely of lucerne, cereals or potatoes. Potatoes were fed both in the raw and in the cooked form. 2. A pre-feeding sample of the rumen liquid was examined for its content of protozoa and various chemical components and for its enzymic activity on glucose and on soluble starch.