@conference {41531,
	title = {Validation of the double ?-alkane technique to estimate the dry matter intake of red deer fed fresh ryegrass-based pasture or plantain},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {65},
	year = {2005},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {23-28},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	address = {Christchurch},
	abstract = {  The accuracy of the double η-alkane technique to estimate dry matter intake (DMI) of red deer (Cervus elaphus)  fed fresh cut perennial ryegrass-based pasture (Lolium perenne  cv Nui) and narrow-leaved plantain (Plantago  lanceolata  cv Ceres Tonic) was determined in a cross-over experiment involving five adult castrated stags housed in  metabolism cages. A strong positive linear relationship between actual and estimated DMI was obtained for pasture  when using both C31  and C33 (C31  R2  = 0.94; P < 0.01; C33 R2  = 0.92; P < 0.01) and plantain for C31 (R2  = 0.80; P <  0.04), but not for C33 (R2  = 0.49; P < 0.19). However, the predicted DMI of deer using the  η-alkane technique was  underestimated up to 27.6\% for deer fed ryegrass-based pasture and overestimated up to 17.2\% for deer fed plantain  when compared with actual DMI.  The discrepancies between actual and predicted DMI could have been partly due to a  difference of 26\% between faecal recovery rates of odd and even-chain alkanes with pasture feeding and 12\% with  plantain feeding.  This suggests that the  η-alkane technique may not be appropriate for estimating DMI of ruminants  grazing New Zealand fresh forages, especially when comparisons between forage species are required.},
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Swainson NM and Hoskin SO and Clark H and Krause M}
}
