A comparative study of feeding behavior and digestive function in dairy goats, wool sheep and hair sheep

An intake and digestibility study was conducted with three groups (six animals per group) of yearling wether dairy goats (four Toggenburg, two Alpine), wool sheep (Targhee X Dorset) and hair sheep (St. Croix). Body weight (BW) ranged from 42 to 52 kg, averaging 47 kg. All animals were penned individually and given ad libitum access to a mixture of alfalfa-smooth bromegrass hay in pelleted, chopped or long form. Each group contained three ruminally cannulated animals. There were no apparent differences in the composition of feed consumed among goats, wool sheep and hair sheep, and no significant animal type X forage form interactions for any of the variables evaluated. Significant differences were observed in dry matter intake (DMI) between wool sheep, hair sheep and goats: 3.17%, 2.66% and 2.23% of BW, respectively (P less than .05). Daily water intake (WI) was greatest for wool sheep (P less than .05), but not different between hair sheep and goats. Total digestibility of dry matter (DM) and all fiber fractions were similar among animal types. For the cannulated animals, ruminal content weight and total ruminal volume were greatest for wool sheep (P less than .05). Ruminal acid detergent lignin (ADL) turnover was greater in wool and hair sheep than goats (P less than .05), but no differences were apparent for dry matter or neutral detergent fiber (NDF) turnover. For all animals, DMI, DMI/BW, digestible DMI and WI were greater for pelleted than chopped and long hay (P less than .05). Total ruminal volume, contents weight (on an absolute or BW basis) and fluid volume were lower in the cannulated animals consuming pelleted hay (P less than .05). Ruminal DM turnover rate was faster on pelleted than long hay, while DM turnover rate on chopped hay was intermediate. Turnover of ADL was faster on pelleted than chopped or long hay (P less than .05), but there were no differences among forage forms in NDF turnover rate. Fluid turnover rate was faster on pelleted and chopped than on long hay (P less than .05). Under the conditions of this study, no apparent differences were observed among animal types in the nutrient composition of feed consumed, ruminal or total tract digestibilities or rate of passage for dry matter. However, feeding behavior or selectivity differences under natural grazing conditions may deviate from what has been observed in confinement.