Water balance in goats subjected to feed restriction

The effect of feed restriction on water balance and nutrient utilization was investigated in individually penned Boer x Saanen kids. Twenty-two male Boer x Saanen kids with an initial average live weight (LW) of 15 kg were used. Seven kids were slaughtered at the beginning of the experiment (reference animals) and the remainders were allocated to one of the three treatments (0, 30 and 60% restriction) and therefore there were five kids per treatment. The feed intake for the 0% restriction treatment animals determined the intake for the animals in the 30 and 60% restriction treatment. When the animals in the 0% restriction treatment group reached 25 kg LW, the animals in the 30 and 60% restriction treatment groups were also slaughtered. There was a negative relationship between DMI and water intake. The digestibility coefficients for DM, OM, carbohydrates, ash, ether extract, energy, NDF, ADF and lignin did not differ between treatments, whereas the digestibility coefficient for CP was different between treatment groups. The highest metabolic water production was in animals in the 0% restriction treatment group. No significant differences were observed in the composition of gastro-intestinal tract contents of the goats in the different treatments. Lower water retention was found in the animals in the 60% restriction treatment group. The study showed that feed restriction affected water intake, CP digestibility and water retention in the body of the kid goats. This experiment demonstrated that DM:water intake ratio changed when severe feed restriction was applied (60% restriction) and water was freely available. It shows a different pattern of behaviour of penned goats, particularly if feed intake is restricted and perhaps caution is needed to extrapolate results from nutritional and physiological trials in pens to goats at pasture. (c) 2005 Elsevier BX All rights reserved

Sugar cane dry yeast in feeding for growing and finishing goat kids Levedura seca de cana-de-açúcar na alimentação de cabritos em crescimento e terminação

It was used 27 goat kids (18 ¾ Boer + ¼ Saanen and nine Saanen; 18.0 ± 1.60 kg) distributed in a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement to evaluate productive performance and the total digestibility of dry matter and nutrients in the rations. Diets were composed of soybean meal, soybean meal + dry yeast or dry yeast as protein source, oat hay, ground corn and vitamin-mineral mixture with mean composition of 2.50 Mcal of ME/kg DM and 17.0% of crude protein on average. Digestibility was determined using indigestible neutral detergent fiber as marker. Intakes of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and total carbohydrates were not altered by rations. However, inclusion of dry yeast in the rations reduced ingestions of ether extract, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber. Within breed groups, the ¾ Boer + ¼ Saanen goat kids showed the highest intakes of dry matter and nutrients, as well as the best means of daily gain, feed conversion and days in feedlot. Digestibilities of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and total carbohydrates were higer - and the digesbility of ether extract was lower - for animals fed rations with dry yeast. There were no differences in digestibility of neutral detergent fiber. Rations with dry yeast showed the highest values of total digestible nutrients. Dry yeast can be used as alternative protein source in rations for goat kids because it does not change animal performance and it does have higher nutritional value than soybean meal. ¾ Boer + ¼ Saanen kids show, in feedlots, better performance in growth and finishing phases when compared to Saanen kids.<br>Foram utilizados 27 cabritos (18 ¾ Boer + ¼ Saanen e 9 Saanen; 18,0 ± 1,60 kg) distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente casualizado com arranjo fatorial para avaliar o desempenho produtivo e a digestibilidade total da matéria seca e dos nutrientes das rações. As dietas foram compostas de farelo de soja, farelo de soja + levedura seca ou levedura seca como fonte de proteína, feno de aveia, milho moído e mistura vitamínico-mineral, com composição média de 2,50 Mcal de EM/kg de matéria seca e 17,0% de proteína bruta. A digestibilidade foi determinada utilizando-se fibra em detergente neutro indigestível como indicador. As ingestões de matéria seca, matéria orgânica, proteína bruta e carboidratos totais não foram influenciadas pelas rações. No entanto, a inclusão de levedura seca nas rações reduziu as ingestões de extrato etéreo, fibra em detergente neutro e fibra em detergente ácido. Dentro dos grupos raciais, os cabritos ¾ Boer + ¼ Saanen foram os que apresentaram maior ingestão de matéria seca e nutrientes, assim como melhores médias de ganho diário, conversão alimentar e dias em confinamento. A digestibilidade de matéria seca, matéria orgânica, proteína bruta e carboidratos totais foi maior - e a de extrato etéreo menor - nos animais alimentados com as rações contendo levedura seca. Não houve diferenças na digestibilidade de fibra em detergente neutro. As rações com levedura seca apresentaram maiores valores de nutrientes digestíveis totais. A levedura seca pode ser usada como fonte proteica alternativa em rações para cabritos, pois não altera o desempenho dos animais e tem valor nutritivo superior ao do farelo de soja. Cabritos ¾ Boer + ¼ Saanen apresentam, em confinamento, melhor desempenho produtivo nas fases de crescimento e terminação em comparação aos cabritos Saanen

Substituição do Milho pela Farinha de Mandioca de Varredura em Dietas de Cabras em Lactação: Produção e Composição do Leite e Digestibilidade dos Nutrientes Corn Replacement by Cassava by-Product Meal in the Lactating Goat Diets: Effects on Milk Production and Composition and Nutrients Digestibility

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito da substituição do milho pela farinha de mandioca de varredura, em dietas de cabras Saanen em lactação, sobre o desempenho, a composição do leite (sólidos totais e proteína bruta), a digestibilidade da matéria seca (MS), matéria orgânica (MO), proteína bruta (PB), extrato etéreo (EE), fibra insolúvel em detergente neutro (FDN), e amido e a concentração dos nutrientes digestíveis totais (NDT) das dietas. Foram utilizadas quatro cabras há 100 dias em lactação. O delineamento utilizado foi o quadrado latino 4 x 4, em que os tratamentos consistiram em níveis de 0, 33, 67 e 100% de substituição do milho pela farinha de varredura. Os tratamentos não influenciaram a ingestão, excreção fecal, digestão total e a digestibilidade total da MS, MO, PB, FDN e carboidratos não-fibrosos (CNF). Houve diminuição linear na excreção fecal e aumento na digestibilidade do amido, com a inclusão da farinha de mandioca de varredura. O NDT não diferiu entre as dietas estudadas, com média de 71,59%. Houve correlação positiva entre a digestibilidade da matéria orgânica (DIGMO) e o NDT (r = 0,9472), permitindo estimativas do NDT a partir da equação NDT (%) = 0,8897DIGMO (%) + 10,9940 (R²=0,8972). A substituição da farinha da mandioca de varredura não alterou a produção, bem como a composição do leite. Recomenda-se a utilização da farinha de mandioca de varredura em dietas de cabras em lactação, em total substituição ao milho, sem prejuízos na digestibilidade dos nutrientes e na produção.<br>The objectives of this work were to evaluate effects of replacing corn by cassava by-product meal, in diets of Saanen lactating goats, on milk production and composition (total solids and crude protein), nutrient apparent digestibility and total digestible nutrients (TDN) of diets. Four multiparous goats fitted with ruminal cannula, with 100 days of lactation, were used. The design was a 4 x 4 Latin square and treatments as following: 0, 33, 67 and 100% replacement of corn by cassava by-product meal. Treatments did not affect intake, fecal flow and dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral fiber detergent (NDF) and non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC) total digestion (AD) and total digestibility (DIG). There was a linear fecal flow decrease and a starch digestibility increase with cassava by-product meal inclusion. TDN did not differ among diets with an average of 71.59%. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.9472) between OMDIG and TDN, making possible TDN estimation from the equation: TDN (%) = 0.8897OMDIG (%) + 10.9940 (R² = 0.8972). Cassava by-product inclusion did not affect milk production and composition (total solids and crude protein). These results permit to recommend inclusion of cassava by-product in goat lactating diets, in total replacement of corn without problems related to nutrient digestibility and milk production