Use of three fodder trees in the feeding of goats in the subhumid tropics in Mexico

Chemical composition, in vitro gas production with and without polyethyleneglycol (PEG-4000 MW), and in vitro digestibility of dry matter (IVDMD) and organic (IVOMD) foliage from Pithecellobium dulce, Gliricidia sepium and Haematoxylum brasiletto were determined. The preference test was run for 15 days: the first 10 days as adaption period and the 5 days served as evaluation period. It was conducted in ten developing female Creole goats of 6 months old, weighing 14?±?2.0 kg in order to determine goat preference for any of the three foliages. Productive performance of 35 male creole kids of 6 months old (14?±?3.0 kg) was also determined by ad libitum feeding of the foliage of the tree: the 30 and 15 % of each of the P. dulce (T1, T2), G. sepium (T3, T4), and H. brasiletto (T5, T6) foliages were added to the experiment diets, while T7 served as control diet that did not contain any foliage. The crude protein (CP), total phenols (TP), condensed tannins (CT), IVDMD, and IVOMD were different among the foliages. The PEG determined the biological activity of the TP and CT of H. brasiletto. Goats preferred to consume the foliage of P. dulce because of its higher content of CP and IVDMD and low content of TP and CT. In the productive response, dry matter intake (DMI) was higher in kids fed T1 diet and was stimulated by higher IVDMD and IVOMD, which resulted in the higher daily weight gain (DWG). The contribution with TP and CT of H. brasiletto to T5 and T6 and the rejection by the animals of G. sepium in T3 and T4 explain the negative effects on the DMI and the DWG. Findings of the study suggested higher kid performance for P. dulce foliage. Possible attributes may include its better CP, low TP and CT, and higher digestibility.