Preference Of Goats Research Articles

Relationships among variables indexing selective grazing behavior of goats

Portable computers presently allow documentation of real-time grazing behavior under field conditions. Researchers are still challenged, however, with the task of selecting proper and easily recorded variables to test their hypotheses. The objective of this research was to examine relationships among variables describing grazing behavior and forage utilization by goats to identify the most easily monitored activity capable of accurately ranking their relative preferences among forages. Relationships were investigated in grassy paddocks and on native shrub/steppe rangeland. Variables recorded for each forage included: total visits, total bites, bites per visit, total grazing time, time per visit, and bite rate in both environments, and number of plants grazed, number of plants regrazed, number of regrazing events, percent utilization, grazed plant utilization, and number of plants utilized in the grassy paddocks. In grassy paddocks, with eight different forages available, total visits, total bites, total time, number of plants grazed, number of plants regrazed, and number of regrazing events were highly correlated ( r ≥ 0.94 and P < 0.01) during both the boot and dormant stages of phonology. Rank correlation coefficients ( r s) among forages with these variables averaged 0.96. Any of these six variables would probably give satisfactory ranking of relative preferences if the animal in question was confined to or elected to forage from a single life form (grass, forb, shrub, or tree). Utilization data were significantly ( P < 0.01) but poorly correlated (mean r = 0.74) with total bites, total visits and total time. Correlations among grazing behavior variables were all statistically significant ( P < 0.01) but much weaker in shrub/steppe vegetation where a variety of life forms were available (mean r = 0.45), Only total time versus total bites and bites per visit versus time per visit exhibited correlations of 0.94 or greater ( P < 0.01). The poorer correlations obtained on rangelands were attributed to a wide array of foraging techniques used by the goats to graze the various grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees. Total time was the only variable consistently correlated with total bites in both the grassy paddock and shrub/steppe pastures (mean r = 0.94). Monitoring of grazing time devoted to each forage could be more easily accomplished than the more attention demanding process of tallying individual bites. We suggest that adequate rankings of relative forage preference of goats could be obtained by a single observer recording grazing time expended on each forage.

Preferences of Angora goats for eight selections of grasses used for reclamation of Great Basin rangelands

Mature Angora goats were pastured in plots supporting eight selections of grasses used for rangeland reclamation in the northern Great Basin. The objectives were to establish the relative preferences of goats for these forages at two stages of phenology (late-boot and dormant) and relate selective preferences to forage production and quality attributes. Numbers of each selection visited, total bites harvested, and percent plant weight utilized characterized diets of goats. Forage attributes included herbage production, CP, and IVOMD. Crested wheatgrass selections (cultivars ‘Nordan’ and ‘Hycrest II’) were consistently ranked as preferred forages at both stages of phenology, with the two receiving 80 + % of the grazing activity. Cultivars ‘Magnar’ and ‘Trailhead’ basin wildrye, ‘Goldar’ bluebunch wheatgrass, and ‘Bozoisky’ Russian wildrye were ranked as indifferently foraged upon, and a numbered selection (No. 9021076) of thick-spiked wheatgrass and the closely related cultivar ‘Secar’ Snake River wheatgrass ranked as avoided. Variation in herbage production among selections was significantly and positively correlated with visits to selections and total bites but not well enough to be an accurate predictor of selectivity. Indices of forage quality (CP and IVOMD) were not significantly correlated with selectivity. Adequate livestock performance can probably be attained on the preferred and indifferently ranked forages through mid-summer without supplementation. The two thick-spiked wheat-grasses, No. 9021076 and ‘Secar’ Snake River wheatgrass, are not recommended as forages for Angora goats.

Role of plant defense in the utilization of native browse in southern Ethiopia

Browse is an important forage in pastoral systems, especially during dry seasons, because it is high in nitrogen and digestibility. However, browse palatability may be reduced by possible plant defenses such as tannins and physical attributes. Chemical and physical properties of 20 browse species were correlated with the feeding preference of camels, sheep and goats during wet and dry seasons in a densely wooded, semi-arid savanna. Preference was assessed by comparing relative use with abundance of browse species. Chemical components included nitrogen, available nitrogen, acid-detergent fibre, in vitro digestibility, total tannins and condensed tannins. Physical defenses included thorns, hooks, spines, and leaf surface properties. Animal preference was negatively related to chemical and physical defense factors, positively related to N content, and unrelated to fibre and digestibility with results depending on animal species and season. Understanding the physical and chemical factors which influence browse selectivity aids in identifying promising forage resources.

The preference of adult sheep and goats grazing ryegrass and white clover

The preference of adult sheep and goats grazing ryegrass and white clover

The preference of adult sheep and goats grazing ryegrass and white clover

The preference of adult sheep and goats grazing ryegrass and white clover

Comparison of Sheep and Goat Preferences for Leafy Spurge

The objective of these studies was to compare preference for leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) by sheep and goats. Study 1 was a choice test that paired leafy spurge with either arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata (Pursh)Nutt.) or crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum (L.)Gaertn.) for a 30 minute feeding period. Study 2 consisted of 3 grazing trials on spurge-infested pastures. Differences between sheep and goat grazing were measured using capacitance meter estimates of standing crop and ocular estimates of composition; counts of grazed and ungrazed leafy spurge stems; and bite counts to estimate botanical composition of diets. The paired choice study showed that selection for leafy spurge was affected by the interaction (P < 0.0001) of animal species and the choice alternative. Goats preferred leafy spurge (80% of consumption) compared to arrowleaf balsamroot, but demonstrated a relative avoidance (33% of consumption) of leafy spurge when paired with crested wheatgrass. Sheep always avoided leafy spurge compared to the alternative forage and consumed an average of only 28% of their intake from leafy spurge during the 30 minute test. In the grazing trials goats took 64% of their bites from leafy spurge compared to 20% for sheep. This represented a relative preference for spurge by goats compared to a strong relative avoidance by sheep. Sheep avoided areas in the pasture that had high densities of flowering spurge stems while goats were relatively unresponsive to stem densities. Goat grazing reduced the number of flowering stems. Stem numbers were 90 vs. 23 flowering stems m2 (P = .04) in sheep- and goat-grazed pastures, respectively. Goats appear to have a greater potential for biological control of leafy spurge than sheep. This advantage may be particularly important in areas where leafy spurge is relatively unpalatable, which the present study site represented.

Alchornea cordifolia, a promising indigenous browse species adapted to acid soils in southeastern Nigeria for integrated crop-livestock agroforestry production systems

Dry matter (DM) production, crude protein, phosphorus fibre contents and goat preference for eight indigenous browse species,Alchornea cordifolia, Diallum guineense, Ficus capensis, Baphia nitida, Manniophytum fulvum, Homalium aylmeri, Glyphaea brevis andRauwolfia vomitoria, and for two exotics,Leucaena leucocephala andGliricidia sepium, in cultivated plots were compared on acid soil in southeastern Nigeria. Total DM production was higher (P<0.05) forAlchornea cordifolia than for the other browse species.Glyphaea brevis andL. leucocephala were the most preferred species, whileA. cordifolia, G. sepium andR. vomitoria were the least. Mean crude protein content of browse species in this study was higher, whileP and neutral detergent fibre were lower than reported for other browse species in Nigeria. It is argued that the ultimate goal of a crop-livestock agroforestry system such as alley farming, could be better achieved through the complementary use of browse species.

Seasonality of goat diet and plant acceptabilities in the coastal scrub of Baja California, Mexico

The feeding behavior of goats browsing in the coastal scrub of Baja California was studied for 2 years in order to characterize typical feeding periods in this highly variable climatic environment. As seasons may vary widely in dates, feeding periods were determined on the basis of the monthly variations in consumption of plants forming major components of the diet by means of a principal component analysis. Diet composition was determined using the bite-count method. Monthly observations of diet were distributed within three components, which explained 75.5% of the variation in the data. Three couples of positively correlated forages were found: (1) herbs and Lotus scoparius ( P<0.05); (2) Eriogonum fasciculatum and Viguiera laciniata ( P<0.01); and (3) Artemisia californica and Eriogonum wrightii ( P<0.01), which characterized three distinct feeding periods: wet, transition and dry. Seasonal acceptability indices of principal feeds were then calculated to show the variations of dietary preferences of goats during these three feeding periods. Shrubs contributed 48.1, 67.5 and 75.5% to diet during wet, transition and dry period, respectively. During the wet period, goats exhibited strong feed selectivity with only a legume shrub and herbs representing more than 65% of the diet. During the transition and dry periods, the decrease in the availability of the most preferred feeds, and specific plant phenological responses, induced goats to diversify their diet. Multivariate analyses of dietary data seem to be particularly useful on data collected from arid regions, where climate is highly unpredictable, in order give an overview of the variations of diet selection of range ruminants during climatically heterogeneous annual cycles.

Dietary preference and degradability of forage on a semiarid thornbush savannah by indigenous ruminants, camels and donkeys

Dietary preferences of indigenous camels, cattle, donkeys, sheep and goats were studied by direct observation. The dry matter disappearance of the preferred plant species in the forestomach was tested by using the nylon bag technique in sheep and goats. Cattle and donkeys consumed fewer plant species than sheep, goats and camels. Cattle favoured monocotyledons irrespective of the season, these being of poor quality during the dry season. In the green season when highly digestible forage was available cattle still spent 60% of total feeding time (TFT) on poor quality plants. Donkeys spent 20% of TFT on dicotyledons during the green season but 30% during the dry season. Camels and goats spent more than 80% of TFT on dicotyledons irrespective of season. Sheep were intermediate between the extremes. Goats and camels selected a diet with higher protein and lower cellulose contents than the other animal species. The dietary overlap between animal species increased during the dry season. The highest overlap was between cattle and donkeys and the lowest between cattle and camels.

Grazing management studies with Australian cashmere goats. 3. Effect of season on the selection of diet by cattle, sheep and goats from two tropical grass-legume pastures

Oesophageally fistulated cattle, sheep and I goats were grazed together to study species diet preferences from 2 different tropical grass-legume pastures during 3 seasons (summer, autumn, winter). In one pasture, Brachiaria decumbens (signal grass) was the dominant grass and in the other pasture, Paspalum plicatulum. Each pasture had a common suite of tropical legumes, mainly Desmodium intortum (greenleaf desmodium), Macroptilium atropurpureum (siratro) and Macrotyloma axillaris (axillaris). Axillaris was the major legume available in summer and autumn and greenleaf desmodium was the major legume in winter. There was no significant effect in any season of the basal grass available on the composition of the diet selected by the different species. Both goats and cattle had a high preference for legume leaf during summer and autumn, with goats having a higher preference (34-75% of diet) than cattle (1245%). Sheep selected against legume (5-19% of diet) and had a high preference for grass leaf (58-74% of diet) in all seasons. Cattle selected grass in preference to legume (greenleaf desmodium) in winter. Goats showed the greatest discrimination against both grass and legume stem. In summer sheep selected a higher quality (in vitro digestibility) diet (62.7%) than did cattle (53.4%) and goats (51.2%). In both autumn and winter cattle and sheep selected diets of similar digestibility (range 58.6-63.6%). In vitro digestibility of the extrusa samples was significantly (P&lt;0.05) correlated (r = 0.74) with the proportion of grass selected. It was concluded that in their grazing preferences, goats were more like cattle than sheep. The different preferences of sheep and goats for tropical legume leaf was associated with location of these legumes in the sward, goats browsing from the top down and sheep grazing from the bottom of the sward.

Forage shrubs in North Island hill country 2. Sheep and goat preferences

Abstract A range of shrubs was evaluated as potential sources of forage for grazing animals. Shrubs were established in rows in hill pastures near Woodville. Nine “true” shrubs, and two erect grasses, pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) and toetoe (C. fulvida) were evaluated. The true shrubs were: Chamaecytisus palmensis, tagasaste; Medicago arborea, tree medic; Ulex europaeus, gorse (two variants: wildgorse and short-spinedgorse); Cytisus scoparius, broom; Robinia pseudoacacia, black locust; Leptospermum scoparium, manuka; Cassinia leptophylla, tauhinu; and Ceanothus griseus, ceanothus. Harvested forages were fed to individually housed sheep and goats. Pairs of forages were offered to animals for 6–10 min, and consumption over that period was used to calculate relative preferences. Preference of sheep for broom, pampas, and pasture was greater than preference of goats for these species. Conversely, goats preferred short-spined gorse, manuka, and ceanothus in comparison with sheep. In general, hay, gorse, ...

Goat and Sheep Grazing in Shrub-Infested Semi-arid Woodlands of New South Wales.

Examination of data on dietary preferences of sheep, goats and cattle suggests that different grazing systems are desirable for each of the three major woodland types (belah-rosewood, mulga, poplar box) examined. Competition for herbs, frequently palatable to all animal species, indicates that goats and sheep are unsuitable for joint use either in heavily wooded country or where annual herbaceous production is less than 200 kg-ha. Supplementary feeding, fire and judicious stocking are proposed as a strategy for inducing goats to eat a proportion of unpalatable shrubs. The literature provides little helpful information on how rangelands in the Western Division should be managed. No reports are given on comparisons of grazing systems, such as rotational grazing, rotational resting, and continuous grazing. No guidance is given on grazing after burning of the rangeland. Recommendations are generally against the use of goats for control of woody plants, whereas local observation shows this to be an apparently effective practice. The recommendations are mostly based on experimental procedures which, although suitable for detecting animal dietary preferences in the short term, are less appropriate for investigation of the effects of grazing on range condition in the long term. Some suggestions are made towards a different approach for: investigating the effects of grazing by sheep and goats on rangeland condition, and the economic implications of this in terms of animal production.

Dietary Selection and Nutrition of Spanish Goats as Influenced by Brush Management

Botanical composition of Spanish goat diets was only different when diets selected from tebuthiuron-treated pastures were compared to those from untreated and mechanically treated areas in the Texas Post Oak Savannah. However, all brush management treatments significantly affected the browse component in summer diets. Diets selected from untreated and mechanically treated pastures were dominated by browse, while grasses and grasslike plants occurred most in diets selected from the tebuthiuron-treated plots. Yet, during fall and winter, vines comprised the bulk of diets collected on these areas. Forbs were a minor dietary component. Goat diets from untreated and mechanically treated pastures consistently shifted from browse to grasses and grasslike plants as seasons advanced. Selection of grasses and grasslike plants on tebuthiuron-treated pastures declined sharply from summer through winter and increased through spring. Similar but inverse trends occurred in respect to vines and browse. Mean levels of crude protein (CP) in diets selected by esophageally fistulated goats grazing chemically treated pastures were significantly greater than in diets from the other pastures in winter and spring. In summer and fall, dietary forage material from all pastures contained equivalent levels of crude protein. Dietary in vitro digestible organic matter (IVDOM) was higher in summer and winter from tebuthiuron-treated pastures compared to mechanically treated and untreated areas. In fall, diets from tebuthiuron-treated pastures were higher in IVDOM content than those from untreated ones but were similar to diets from mechanically treated pastures. However, in spring all pastures receiving brush management yielded diets with higher IVDOM content than brush-treated areas. In general, methods of brush control had greater effects on IVDOM than on CP contents of diets. Reduction of woody plant cover may be the primary step toward increasing forage production of depleted rangelands in Texas. The 2 most widely used approaches to brush management are mechanical methods and herbicide application (Scifres 1980). However, rising costs of fuel, equipment, and herbicides and lack of satisfactory control in some instances have stimulated interest in alternative control methods (Green et al. 1978). Uplands and river bottoms in the Post Oak Savannah region of east-central Texas were originally characterized as open Savannah with a ground cover of mid and tall grasses (Smeins and Slack 1978). Yet, continued heavy yearlong grazing coupled with longterm fire suppression has led to range deterioration. As a result, millions of hectares now support dense thickets of brush which severely limit herbaceous forage production (Scifres and Haas 1974). Evaluation of cattle grazing practices in this region indicated that cattle will not maintain mechanically treated rangeland, or make efficient use of brush-infested areas (Kirby and Stuth Authors are EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agriculture Research Institution) fellow and associate professor, Department of Range Science, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843. Lopes is pesently coordinator of goat research, EMBRAPA/CNP-Caprinos, Sobral, Ceara,, Brazil, 62.100 This article IS published wth the approval of the Dwector, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station,, as TA-l8090/ .92. Specml appreciatmn is extended to Dr. Charles Scifres for his professional support and suggestions provided throughout this study. Manuscript accepted February 29, 1984. 554 1982a). A combination of cattle and goats might be used to effectively manipulate woody regrowth to sustain the beneficial aspects of mechanical treatments and maximize long-term returns. Use of goats in many situations is perceived to be harmful to the environment. The goat controversy probably exists because of preconceived ideas and lack of reliable observations about this species. This unfortunately impedes a better understanding of its role in land use. The counterpart of the “maligned”image of goats is their capability to reduce brush cover on rangeland. Control of brush regrowth using goats following other brush treatments has shown good results in maintaining fuelbreaks in the southern California chaparral (Green et al. 1978), controlling brush species in Tanzania’s Massailand (Martin and Huss 1981) and in the northern and central rangelands of Mexico (Fierro et al. 1980), and in reducing Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) sprouts in Colorado (Davis et al. 1975). In western Texas, Spanish goats were useful in conjunction with prescribed burning for suppressing woody species during the growing season (Ueckert 1980). The primary advantage of goats over other small ruminants lies in their multipurpose-utility. Since animal grazing preference is the major determinant factor in a grazing program (Davis et al. 1975), diet selection should be the first step in assessing the goat’s potential as a complementary grazer and brush management agent. The primary objective of this study was to determine effects of brush management practices and season on botanical composition and nutritional content of Spanish goat’s diets and browsing preference of goats for forage classes and plant species in Texas Post Oak

Seasonal changes in composition and intake of chaparral by Spanish goats

Seasonal changes in utilization of one-year regrowth of chaparral vegetation by Spanish goats were investigated. The dominant shrub species were: oak ( Quercus dumosa and Q. wislizenii), chamise ( Adenostoma fasciculatum), manzanita ( Arctostaphylos glandulosa) and ceanothus ( Ceanothus cuneatus, and C. foliosus). Oesophageal and faecal samples were obtained during the spring, summer and autumn seasons of 1979. Mean daily temperatures for the three seasons were 19, 18 and 12° C, respectively. Winter sampling was restricted by cold weather at the 985-m elevation site. Cover was measured from ten permanent transects. Preference of Spanish goats was highly directed towards oak (> 50%) and chamise (> 30%) in all seasons. Correlation of selectivity (percentage botanical composition in the diet) and availability data indicated that goats may be generalist in their feeding strategies, but display some sort of specialized behaviour in selecting between the most dominant species. The observation that selection of herbaceous vegetation was restricted by availability conforms with the recent classification of goats as adaptive mixed feeders rather than browsers. Daily feed intake (g DM/kg BW 0.75) was calculated by dividing faecal residue by (100—digestibility in vitro). Intake values were equivalent to maintenance requirements during spring (60 g) and summer (57 g). However, autumn chaparral provided sub-maintenance intake levels (36 g). Condensed tannins (ADF—NAD), estimated as the difference between acid detergent fibre (ADF) and sequential acid detergent residue of neutral detergent residue (NAD), were variable in the clipped shrub samples but low in all dietary samples (2.1 ± 1.8%). The low levels of tannins did not appear to be affecting utilization of this browse. Predictive equations for intake (DMI) and digestibility in vitro (IVOMD) were derived from step-wise regression analysis using the following independent variables: cell wall content (CWC), NAD, cellulose (NADC), NAD sulphuric acid insoluble lignin (NADL s), hemicellulose (NADHC), lignin: ADF—NAD tannins, ash and nitrogen (N) The equation for intake was: DMI (g DM/kg BW 0.75) = −25.67 + 1.80 OMD ( n = 56, Syx = 17.72, r = 0.59, P < 0.005), while digestibility (%) was predicted as OMD = 56.98 − 0.46 CWC − 0.45 NADL s + 0.65 N + 0.09 DMI ( n = 56, Syx = 2.77, r = 0.88, P < 0.005). It is concluded that recently-burnt chaparral vegetation would provide a maintenance browse for Spanish goats during the spring and summer seasons only.

Summer Diet of Spanish Goats Grazing Chaparral

Summer Diet of Spanish Goats Grazing Chaparral