Influence of untreated and irradiated straw on the digestibility of the crude nitrients and amino acids in chickens and the recovery of the amino acids after irradiation of straw

2 x 106 Gy γ-rays reduce the content of lysine, arginine, histidine, proline and glutamic acid in straw by more than 20%, that of other amino acids less or not at all. The supplementation of 30 g untreated or irradiated straw to the broiler hens rations on average reduces the digestibility of the crude protein from 82.6% +- 1.5% to 74.3% +- 1.6% and 72.5% +- 1.3%, resp. The digestibility of the amino acids in the rations was differently influenced by the straw supplement. The irradiation of the straw with 2 x 106 Gy reduced the content of crude cellulose and improved, however, its digestibility. (author)