Health and ruminal variables were intensively measured during adaptation to grain-based diets in 6 beef cattle with fistulated rumens. The cows had been maintained on prairie grass hay-supplemented diets, and were converted to a grain-based finishing ration by feeding each successive diet (diets 1-4, respectively) for a period of 7 days. Each cow was evaluated and samples were obtained 3 times each day for the first 5 days that each diet was fed. Health variables monitored were rectal temperature, pulse, respiratory and rumen motility rates, fecal consistency, demeanor, blood pH, and blood glucose and L(+) lactate concentrations. Ruminal variables monitored were pH and glucose, DL-lactate, and volatile fatty acid concentrations of rumen contents. Data were analyzed by use of a multivariate ANOVA. We determined that most of the health variables were within reference rang limits throughout the adaptation period; however, analysis of pulse and respiratory rates indicated that diets 2 and 4 were stressful. Although blood pH continually decreased during feeding of the 4 diets (7.38 to 7.30), blood L(+) lactate and glucose concentrations had large increases only within diet 4. The pH of ruminal contents decreased progressively from 6.8 to 5.3. Rumen glucose concentration was low (< 1 micromole/ml), except with diet 4 in which values were 8 times higher than for other diets. By the end of the study, the ruminal contents of all animals were acidic (pH < 5.5), and, on the basis of higher than background amounts of ruminal glucose and DL-lactate, it was determined that rumen microbial equilibrium had not yet been achieved. Analysis of results of this study suggested that ruminal imbalance could be evaluated by monitoring pulse and respiratory rates, blood pH, and blood glucose concentrations. Assessment of the rumen alone could be accomplished by monitoring the variables of rumen pH, rumen glucose, and DL-lactate concentrations.

In the conditions of the Republic of Belarus there was determined the influence of experimental feed mixtures on the basis of humid preserved grain (conserved rolled grain of triticale; barley (Hordeum vulgare); oat (Avena sativa)) and protein, mineral and vitamin supplement (contains rape (Brassica napus) extraction cake; wheat bran; premix PKR-2; chalk; forage phosphate) on digestibility and metabolism of nutritive elements by young stock of cattle. There were presented recipes of the developed experimental feed mixtures and studied their influence on consumption and digestibility of nutritive elements of diets, metabolism of nitrogenous substances, calcium, phosphorous, as well as on hematological indexes. The proposed mixed fodders contained metabolizable energy; dry matter; crude protein; digestible protein; crude fat; fibre; starch; sugars; calcium; phosphorous; magnesium; potassium; sulphur; iron; copper; zinc; cobalt; manganese. In course of the study there was analyzed the consumption of the main nutritive elements; coefficients of their digestibility; nitrogen balance; balance of calcium and phosphorous; morphological and biochemical blood indexes.

The research in RUP Scientific and Practical Center of Animal Breeding of National Academy of Sciences on such parameters as consumption of forages, processes of rumen digestion, morphological and biochemical structure of blood has shown that usage of wet grain preserved with Kormoplus for young cattle fattening has a positive effect on physiological condition and digestibility of nutrients and promotes nitrogen usage by animals that increases at 7,0 and 1,6%

Treatment of legumes and cereals on hydrodynamic machine TEK-CM allows to obtain tine-dispersed feed products (paste, milk) containing dry matter of 42-30% with better nutrition values compared to initial raw material. Preparation of grain to feeding on hydrodynamic machine TEK-CM increases the sugars contents on 26-56%, free amino acids - on 22-57%, and the quantity of cellular tissue decreases. Activity of the antinutrients containing in a soya, decreases up to a safe level

Application of protein, vitamin and mineral supplement in diets of 1-3 months old calves in rate of 5% per weight instead of a part of sunflower cake, containing rape, peas, lupin and vitamid on a basis of halites, phosphite, phosphate, sapropel and a mineral-vitamin preparation in structure of grain forage against winter rations on the basis of rich in herbs hay (5%), milk (68%), mixed fodder (20%), whole grain (7%), and also summer rations with grass and legume mixture (7%), hay (1%), milk (65%), mixed fodder (20%), integral grain (7%) makes it possible to receive daily average weight gain of calves at level 833-867 grams at expenses of forages for 1 centner of weight gain on 3,3-3,4 сentner of forage units. Introduction into rations of the protein, vitamin and mineral supplement on the basis of local protein and mineral raw materials in number of 10% per weight in structure of mixed fodder for calves at the age of 3-6 months old against the background of winter diets with haylage (28%), mixed fodder (64%), molasses (8%), as well as summer diets with grass and legume mixture (30%), mixed fodders (66%), molasses (4%) makes it possible to receive daily average weight gains of calves on 944-967grams at expenses of forages of 4,0-4,1 сentner of forage units. Feeding of 1-6 months old calves with mixed fodders with inclusion of 5-10% of protein, vitamin and mineral supplement per weight with grain high-protein crops against the background of winter and summer diets with a ratio of the deconjugate protein to the non deconjugate one - 65:35 (in control group - 71:29) instead of sunflower cake makes it possible to receive the daily average weight gain at the level of 900-927 grams at expenses of forages 3,7-3,8 сentner per forage unit. Cost of presented mixed fodders decreases on 14%, and the cost price per 1 centner gain - on 7-8%