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Dietary preferences in adult and juvenile goats

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

G. De Rosa ,
V. Fedele ,
F. Napolitano ,
L. Gubitosi ,
A. Bordi  and
R. Rubino
G. De Rosa
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, via Università 133, 80055 Portici (NA), Italy
V. Fedele
Affiliation:
Istituto Sperimentale per la Zootecnia, viale Basento 106, 85100 Potenza, Italy
F. Napolitano
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Animali, Universitá degli Studi della Basilicata, via N Sauro 85, 85100 Potenza, Italy
L. Gubitosi
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, via Università 133, 80055 Portici (NA), Italy
A. Bordi
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze Zootecniche, Università degli Studi di Napoli “Federico II”, via Università 133, 80055 Portici (NA), Italy
R. Rubino
Affiliation:
Istituto Sperimentale per la Zootecnia, viale Basento 106, 85100 Potenza, Italy
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Abstract

Six adult and six juvenile goats were used to estimate their feeding preferences when three grasses (ryegrass, barley and brome) and two legumes (clover and alfalfa) were tested. Each grass was separately tested with both clover and alfalfa. A comparison between alfalfa and clover was also performed. The plants were harvested just before their utilization, chopped into 4- to 6-cm pieces and offered to the animals in plastic baskets. Preferences were evaluated by means of a series of seven short-term trials. Each short-term trial consisted of two single-food presentations and one choice-presentation. In the first single-food presentation animals received one of the two plants to be tested. In the second single-food presentation they were offered the alternative plant species. In the choice presentation they received the two species simultaneously. During each presentation animals were allowed to eat for 20 min or take a maximum of 50 bites. In the single-food presentations bite rate, bite mass and intake rate of both juvenile and adult animals were influenced by the plant species offered. Indeed, all goats tended to display a higher intake rate and bite mass for grasses than for legumes. A grass/legume ratio of the intake rates was also computed for each grass-legume comparison. These ratios tended to be higher for juvenile than for adult goats. The results of the choice presentations indicated that food preferences were not affected by age as all goats preferred grasses to legumes and clover over alfalfa. This experiment showed that age may not play an important role in the development of food preferences.

Keywords

food preferencesgoatsgrasseslegumes
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 65 , Issue 3 , December 1997 , pp. 457 - 463
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1997

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