Dairy goats adjust their meal patterns to the fibre content of the diet.

Few studies have investigated how meal patterns of ruminants are affected by diet fibre content. Dairy goats (N = 32) in late lactation and early gestation were housed in eight groups of four goats, with all combinations of breed (Alpine and Saanen) and lactation number (1 and 2) represented in each group. Each goat had access to its own individual feed trough placed on a weigh scale with data logged automatically.

A novel modelling approach to quantify the response of dairy goats to a high-concentrate diet.

High-producing ruminants need high-concentrate diets to satisfy their nutrient requirements and meet performance objectives. However, such diets induce sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA), which will adversely affect dry matter intake and lead to lower production performance. This work develops a novel modelling approach to quantify the capacity of dairy goats to adapt to a high-concentrate diet challenge at the individual level.

Rumen function in goats, an example of adaptive capacity.

The aim of this Research Reflection is to describe the basic rumen function of goats and its modification in response to environmental factors, as well as to discuss similarities and differences when compared to other ruminants. In so doing we shall reveal the adaptive capacity of goats to harsh environments. The basic rumen function in goats is similar to other species of ruminants, as stressed by the opportunity to apply the updates of feeding systems for ruminants to goats.

Repeatability of traits for characterizing feed intake patterns in dairy goats: a basis for phenotyping in the precision farming context.

In ruminants, feeding behaviour variables are parameters involved in feed efficiency that show variation among individuals. This study aimed to evaluate during the first two production cycles in ruminants the repeatability of feed intake pattern, which is an important aspect of feeding behaviour. Thirty-five dairy goats from Alpine or Saanen breeds were housed in individual pens at four periods (end of first gestation, middle of first and second lactations and middle of second gestation which is also the end of first lactation) and fed a total mixed ration (TMR) ad libitum.

Lameness Affects Cow Feeding But Not Rumination Behavior as Characterized from Sensor Data.

Using automatic sensor data, this is the first study to characterize individual cow feeding and rumination behavior simultaneously as affected by lameness. A group of mixed-parity, lactating Holstein cows were loose-housed with free access to 24 cubicles and 12 automatic feed stations. Cows were milked three times/day.

In vitro fermentation of total mixed diets differing in concentrate proportion: relative effects of inocula and substrates.

Background: In vitro techniques are used to predict ruminant feedstuff values or characterise rumen fermentation. As the results are influenced by several factors, such as the relative effects of inocula and substrates, this study aimed to examine in vitro incubation of two total mixed rations (substrates) differing in their proportion of concentrate [low (L): 350 g kg(-1) vs. high (H): 700 g kg(-1)] incubated in inocula provided by goats fed either a L or a H diet.

Influence of grinding on the nutritive value of peas for ruminants: comparison between in vitro and in situ approaches.

In ruminant nutrition, peas are characterized by high protein solubility and degradability, which impair its protein value estimated by the official in situ method. Grinding can be used as a technological treatment of pea seeds to modify their nutritional value. The aim of this study was to compare the in situ method with an in vitro method on the same pea either in a coarse pea flour form (PCF) or in a ground pea fine flour form (PFF) to understand the effect of grinding.

Effect of concentrate level on feeding behavior and rumen and blood parameters in dairy goats: relationships between behavioral and physiological parameters and effect of between-animal variability.

This work aimed first to compare 2 diets differing in their percentage of concentrate [low (LO): 30% concentrate vs. High (HI): 60% concentrate] by measuring simultaneously feeding behavior, rumen parameters, blood and plasma parameters, and milk yield and composition in 8 mid-lactation goats. The second aim was to study the interrelationships between these variables and to analyze the between-animal variability to better understand the between-animal differences in acidosis susceptibility.

Long-term consequences of feed restriction during late pregnancy in goats on feeding behavior and emotional reactivity of female offspring.

Feed restriction during pregnancy can have detrimental effects on offspring development both during the juvenile period and during adult life. Long-term effects of maternal feed restriction during the last third of pregnancy on growth, metabolism and behavior of female kids, with a focus on feeding behavior and emotional reactivity, were studied in goats. Female kids born to control (CONT, n=17) or born to feed restricted goats (REST, n=15) were artificially reared and monitored from birth to 24 months of age.

Effects of the percentage of concentrate on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestibility, plasma metabolites, and milk composition in mid-lactation goats.

The aim of this work was to study the effects of the dietary percentage of concentrate on patterns of intake, the evolution of rumen fermentation characteristics and plasma metabolites after a meal, nutrient digestibility, and milk production and composition in a medium-term trial in dairy goats. These effects have been well studied in dairy cattle but seldom in goats. Thirteen ruminally and duodenally cannulated dairy goats (95±4 d in milk) fed ad libitum were used in this study.

The use of a multivariate analysis to study between-goat variability in feeding behavior and associated rumen pH patterns.

This study examined feeding patterns and their relation to rumen pH. The measured variables were the cumulative time spent chewing (eating or ruminating) and the mean rumen pH, per 20-min intervals (46 intervals altogether). A total of 333 feeding patterns, defined as time-series of measurements for 1 animal and 1 given day during 15 h and 20 min following the afternoon feeding, were collected from 12 stall-housed dairy goats fed a total mixed ration twice daily.

Modeling of off-feed periods caused by subacute acidosis in intensive lactating ruminants: application to goats.

Off-feed periods caused by subacute rumen acidosis are often observed in intensive ruminant production systems but appear in an unpredictable manner. The objectives of this paper were first, to study the influence of spontaneous off-feed periods due to bouts of acidosis on milk composition and on some rumen and blood parameters and second, to model the day-to-day variations in rumen pH, dry matter intake (DMI), and milk production during these bouts of acidosis. Twenty-five spontaneous off-feed periods were detected in an experiment performed in 18 mid-lactating goats fed a high concentrate diet over 11 wk.

Meta-analysis of the influence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation on ruminal parameters and milk production of ruminants.

The effects of yeast supplementation on intake, production, and rumen fermentation characteristics have been widely studied, but results are inconsistent between different studies. A quantitative meta-analysis was applied to 110 papers, 157 experiments, and 376 treatments dealing with yeast supplementation in ruminants. The objective was first to highlight the major quantitative effects of live yeast supplementation on intake, rumen fermentation, and milk production, and second, to identify major differences in experimental conditions between studies that can affect the response to treatment.

Effect of concentrate percentage on ruminal pH and time-budget in dairy goats.

The aim of this study was to compare rumen pH and time-budget in eight mid-lactation goats receiving two diets in a cross-over design (low-concentrate diet (L): 30% and high-concentrate diet (H): 60% concentrate). Feeding H increased daily intake (4.3 ± 0.

Meta-analysis of 0 to 8 h post-prandial evolution of ruminal pH.

The objective of this study was to identify relevant descriptors of ruminal pH post-prandial evolution that can replace the mean pH (considered unsatisfactory). These descriptors are to be used in the attempts to predict ruminal pH from dietary characteristics, in order to quantify the potential of a diet to induce subacute ruminal acidosis from its intrinsic characteristics. A total of 219 pH curves, reported as graphics in 48 published articles describing the post-prandial evolution of ruminal pH (first 8 h), were digitized by image analysis then summarized in 15 pH variables.

[Influence of the quantity of ingested dry matter and food retention time on feed digestibility in dairy goats].

Simultaneous measurements of organic matter digestibility (OMD) and particulate mean retention time (MRT) of diets containing various proportions of hay and concentrate (bran or beet pulp) were performed in lactating or dry goats. Beyond the hay and concentrate influences, the OMD decreased by 0.5 and 1.

[Comparison of different adjustment models of curves of fecal excretion of transit markers].

Seventy nine fecal excretion curves of rare earth were adjusted with 3 published models (Grovum and Williams, 1973; Dhanoa et al, 1985; Siddons et al, 1983). The models provided statistically similar estimations of particulate turnover in the first compartment and mean retention time. However, some important individual differences between parameter values could be observed from one model to another.