Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-b6zl4 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-13T05:34:28.720Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The digestibility by sheep and goats of five roughages offered alone or with concentrates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

T. Antoniou  and
M. Hadjipanayiotou
T. Antoniou
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research InstituteNicosia, Cyprus
M. Hadjipanayiotou
Affiliation:
Agricultural Research InstituteNicosia, Cyprus
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

The digestive efficiency, rumen fermentation pattern, nitrogen balance, water intake and urine excretion were compared using four mature vasectomized Chios rams and four Damascus goats for each of five roughages (barley, lucerne or sudax hay, barley straw and leaves and twigs of acacia) offered alone or with concentrates (1:1 ratio), at approximately the maintenance energy level.

There were no species differences in the apparent digestibility of nutrients when the roughages were offered alone except for the significantly higher digestibility of dry matter, organic matter (OM), and gross energy (GE) of straw by goats. Sheep exceeded goats significantly in the digestibility of D.M., OM, GE and crude protein (CP) of lucerne hay plus concentrate and of CP when barley hay or sudax hay were supplemented with concentrate.

Compared with sheep, goats tended to consume more D.M. per kg W0·75 and drink less water and excrete less urine, but significant differences for water were obtained only with barley straw plus concentrate and for urine with barley hay and acacia.

Daily protein retention (g/kg W0·75) was consistently lower in goats than sheep but significant difference was obtained with acacia and with lucerne hay or straw plus concentrate. These results would suggest that Damascus goats require more protein for maintenance than sheep.

Compared with sheep, goats had significantly higher rumen NH3·N concentration with both acacia diets but lower with lucerne hay.

Total VFA concentration tended to be higher in sheep with all diets, but significance was observed only with barley hay although rumen pH was lower (acacia diets) or similar compared with goats. The molar proportion of acetic was significantly higher in sheep than goats with barley hay plus concentrate. Goats exceeded sheep significantly in the proportion of propionic with straw, of butyric with both barley hay and sudax hay plus concentrate diets, and of isobutyric with barley hay or acacia plus concentrate; with the other diets goats tended to have higher proportions of butyric and isobutyric.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 105 , Issue 3 , December 1985 , pp. 663 - 671
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Association of Official Analytical Chemists (1975). Official Methods of Analysis, 12th edn.Washington D.C.: Association of Official Analytical Chemists.Google Scholar
Baumgardt, B. R., Byer, W. J., Jumah, H. F. & Krueger, C. R. (1964). Digestion in the steer, goat and artificial rumen as measures of forage nutritive value. Journal of Dairy Science 47, 160–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blanchart, G., Brun-Bellut, J. & Vignon, B. C. (1980). Comparisons des caprins aux ovins quant al l'ingestion, la digestibilite et la valeur alimentair de diverses rations. Reproduction, Nutrition, et Developpemenl 20, 1731–1737.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuddeford, D. & De Waard, T. (1981). Effect of urea supplementation on intake and utilization of a diet composed of whole barley and barley straw by immature goats and sheep. In International Symposium on Nutrition and Systems of Goat Feeding (ed. Morand-Fehr, P., Bourbouze, A. and de Simiane, M.), VOL. 1, pp. 160–167. Tours France: INRA, ITOVIC.Google Scholar
De Simiane, M., Giger, S., Blanchart, G. & Huguet, L. (1981). Valour nutritionelle et utilization des forrages cultives intensivement. In International Symposium on Nutrition and Systems of Qoat Feeding (ed. Morand-Fehr, P., Bourbouze, A. and de Simiane, M.), VOL. 1, pp. 274–299. Tours, France: INRA, ITOVIC.Google Scholar
Devendra, C. (1977). Studies on the intake and digestibility of two varieties (Serdag and Coloniao) of Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) by goats and sheep. I. Long grass. Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute. Research Bulletin 5, 91–109.Google Scholar
Devendra, C. (1978). The digestive efficiency of goats. World Review of Animal Production 14, 9–22.Google Scholar
Devendra, C. (1980). Feeding and nutrition of goats. In Digestive Physiology and Nutrition of Ruminants, vol. 3 Practical Nutrition, 2nd edn. (ed. Church, D. C.). Corvallis, Oregon: O & B Books, Inc.Google Scholar
Devendra, C. (1981). The utilization of forages from cassava, pigeon pea, leucaena and groundnut by goats and sheep in Malaysia. In International Symposium on Nutrition and Systems of Ooat Feeding (ed. Morand-Fehr, P., Bourbouze, A. and de Simiane, M.), vol. 1, pp. 338–343. Tours, France: INRA, ITOVIC.Google Scholar
Eadie, J. M., Hyldgaard-Jensen, J., Mann, S. O., Reid, R. S. & Whitelaw, F. G. (1970). Observations on the microbiology and biochemistry of the rumen in cattle given different quantities of a pelleted barley ration. British Journal of Nutrition 24, 157–177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
El Hag, G. A. (1976). A comparative study between desert goat and sheep efficiency of feed utilization. World Review of Animal Production 12, 43–48.Google Scholar
Engelhardt, V. W. & Hinderer, S. (1976). Transfer of blood urea into the goat colon. In Tracer Studies on Non-protein Nitrogen for Ruminants, III. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency.Google Scholar
Gihad, E. A. (1976). Intake, digestibility and nitrogen utilization of tropical natural grass hay by goats and sheep. Journal of Animal Science 43, 879–883.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gihad, E. A., El-Bedawy, T. M. & Mehrez, A. Z. (1980). Fiber digestibility by goats and sheep. Journal of Dairy Science 63, 1701–1706.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hadjipanayiotou, M. & Antoniou, T. (1983). A comparison of rumen fermentation patterns in sheep and goats given a variety of diets. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 34, 1319–1322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, L. E. (1970). Nutrition Research Techniques for Domestic and Wild Animals. An International Record System and Procedures for Analyzing Samples, vol. 1, p. 117. Logan, Utah: L. E. Harris.Google Scholar
Houpt, R. T. & Houpt, K. A. (1968). Transfer of urea nitrogen across the rumen wall. American Journal of Physiology 214, 1296–1303.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huston, J. E. (1978). Forage utilization and nutrient requirements of the goat. Journal of Dairy Science 61, 988–993.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jang, S. & Majumdar, B. N. (1962). A study on comparative digestibilities in different species of ruminants. Annals of Biochemistry and Experimental Medicine 22, 304–308.Google Scholar
Johnson, K. G. (1971). Body temperature lability in sheep and goats during short-term exposures to heat and cold. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 77, 267–272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, G. M., Larsen, R. E., Javed, A. H., Donefer, E. & Gaudreau, J. M. (1972). Voluntary intake and nutrient digestibility of forages by goats and sheep. Journal of Animal Science 34, 830–838.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Macfarlane, W. V. (1982). Concepts in Animal Adaptation. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Goat Production and Disease, pp. 375–385. Scottsdale, Arizona: Dairy Goat Journal Publishing Co.Google Scholar
Maloiy, G. M. O. (1974). Digestion and renal function in East Africa goats and haired-sheep. East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal 40, 177–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mohammed, H. H. & Owen, E. (1982). Goats versus sheep: effect of coat thickness and body composition on maintenance energy requirement. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Goat Production and Disease, p. 560. Scottsdale, Arizona: Dairy Goat Journal Publishing Co.Google Scholar
National Research Council (1981). Nutrient requirements of domestic animals, Number 15. Nutrient Requirements of Goats: Angora, Dairy, and Meat Ooats in Temperate and Tropical Countries. Washington, D.C.: National Academic Press.Google Scholar
Owen, E. & Ndosa, J. E. M. (1982). Goats versus sheep: roughage utilization capacity. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Goat Production and Disease, p. 362. Scottsdale, Arizona: Dairy Goat Journal Publishing Co.Google Scholar
Pant, H. C., Pandey, M. D., Rawat, J. S. & Roy, A. (1963). Studies on rumen physiology. 3. Species variations in rumen metabolic reactions. Indian Journal of Dairy Science 16, 29–33.Google Scholar
Robertshaw, D. (1982). Concepts in animal adaptation: thermoregulation of the goat. In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Goat Production and Disease, pp. 395–397. Scottsdale, Arizona: Dairy Goat Journal Publishing Co.Google Scholar
Schneider, B. H. & Flatt, W. P. (1975). Associative digestibility. In The Evaluation of Feeds through Digestibility Experiments. Athens: The University of Georgia Press.Google Scholar
Seth, D. N., Rai, G. S., Yadar, P. C. & Pandey, M. D. (1976). A note on the rate of secretion and chemical composition of parotid saliva in sheep and goat. Indian Journal of Animal Science 46, 660–663.Google Scholar
Sharma, V. V. & Murdia, P. C. (1974). Utilization of berseem hay by ruminants. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 83, 289–293.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharma, V. V. & Rajora, N. K. (1977). Voluntary intake and nutrient digestibility of low-grade roughage by ruminants. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 88, 75–78.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uden, P. & Van Soest, P. J. (1982). Comparative digestion of timothy (Phleum pratense) fibre by ruminants, equines and rabbits. British Journal of Nutrition 47, 267–272.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, A. D. (1977). The digestibility and voluntary intake of the leaves of trees and shrubs by sheep and goats. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 28, 501–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar