Selection of Forage Resources by Juvenile Goats in a Cafeteria Trial: Effect of Browsing Experience, Nutrient and Secondary Compound Content.
Animals (Basel)
; 12(10)2022 May 21.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35625163
ABSTRACT
We evaluated the effect of browsing experience, nutritional quality and secondary compounds of forage resources, and the interaction between these factors on the selection and intake of goats in a cafeteria trial. Twelve juvenile Criollo goats from 7 to 9 months of age, weighing 22 ± 3 kg, were divided into two groups (a) browser goats group (n = 6, BG), and (b) naïve goats group (n = 6, NG), formed according to their previous browsing experience (with and without, respectively). Animals were housed in individual pens. The cafeteria experiment lasted 21 days considering pen adaptation, foliage adaptation, and measurements, which included the selection index (SI) of experimental forage resources (Chesson's alpha) and their dry matter intake (DMI/Kg0.75), using a multiple Latin square design. Furthermore, correlation and regression analyses were used to assess the relationship between the aforementioned factors. The NG did not show any selection pattern, while the BG selected Piscidia piscipula and Senegalia gaumeri (p = 0.0002). The BG consumed smaller amounts of secondary compounds compared to NG (p = 0.0001). In the BG, the flavonoids affected negatively their selection (R2 = 97.51, p = 0.0001), while the DMI was affected by in vitro DM digestibility and flavonoids (R2 = 99.85; p = 0.0001). For the NG, the crude protein and organic matter contents were associated with DMI, but none had a significant relationship with SI. The BG selected and consumed forages with suitable nutritional quality avoiding those with high content of secondary compounds such as flavonoids. Conversely, NG did not show a clear pattern for their selection or intake.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
Animals (Basel)
Year:
2022
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
México