Low-quality forages and crop residues that have been treated with alkali have been fed successfully to beef cattle and sheep (Wilkinson, 1984). Additionally, Haddad et al. (1998) observed that the inclusion of up to 20% wheat straw treated with a combination of 3% NaOH and 3% Ca(OH)2 in place of alfalfa in the diets of mid-lactation dairy cows had no negative effect on lactational performance.