Authors : J.A. Armenta-Quintana , R.G. Ramirez and R. Ramirez-Orduna
Abstract: The rate and extent of organic matter digestion of range goat diets was seasonally estimated from August 2006 to May 2008 in a shrubland from Baja California, Sur, Mexico. Five esophageal cannulated adult female range goats (40 kg of BW) were used to collect extrusa samples. Nylon bags (5x10 cm and 50 μm of pore size) containing 5 g of each extrusa sample were incubated at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h in the ventral part of the rumen of four ruminal fistulated goats that were browsing in the range with the herd. The soluble fraction of OM, the rumen degradable fraction, the rate constant and Effective Degradability of Organic Matter (EDOM) were significantly different among seasons; however, year effect and seasons x year interaction were not significant (p>0.05). It appeared that rainfall influenced positively EDOM because during summer and autumn (wet seasons), in both years, goats digested more dietary OM that in other seasons (dry months). Moreover, as dietary cell wall fractions increased (winter and spring), EDOM decreased. Results indicate that degradability of OM depicted a lower nutrient availability by range goats during the dry seasons.
J.A. Armenta-Quintana , R.G. Ramirez and R. Ramirez-Orduna , 2009. Organic Matter Degradability of Diets by Range Goats. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 8: 825-828.