Journal
SMALL RUMINANT RESEARCH
Volume 64, Issue 1-2, Pages 169-179Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2005.04.017
Keywords
Mediterranean maquis; sheep; goats; shrub preference; nutritional value
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The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritive value, intake and preferences of sheep and goats for the dominant six shrubs of the holly oak maquis-type shrublands in Croatia. The experimental sheep (n = 12, mean weight 28.5 kg) were a local Croatian mixed breed. The experimental goats (n = 12, mean weight 13.4 kg) were a mixture of domestic goats crossed with Saanen and Alpine breeds. Sheep and goats differed (P < 0.01) in consumption of almost all of the shrubs. Goats had higher intakes (g/kg BW, P < 0.01) than sheep of each shrub except Quercus ilex. In Trial 1, shrub intake for goats ranged from 17.7 +/- 0.72 g/kg BW for Pistacia lentiscus to 33.1 +/- 1.40 g/kg B.W. for Erica multiflora. Goats ate more Arbutus unedo (P = 0.004; 19.9 g/kg versus 14.2 g/kg B.W., respectively); E. multiflora (33.1 g/kg versus 21.9 g/kg B.W., respectively) and Pistacia lenticus (17.2 g/kg versus 10.6 g/kg B.W., respectively) than did sheep. Goats ate twice as much Juniperus phoeniceae (P = 0.002) as did sheep (21.0 g/kg versus 10.9 g/kg BW), and also ate more Viburnum tinus (P = 0.02) than did sheep (22.6 g/kg versus 13.9 g/kg B.W.). There was a day x treatment interaction (P = 0.001), with goats eating more A. unedo, E. multiflora, J. phoeniceae, P. lenticus and V tinus than sheep. In Trial 2, the rank order of preference (highest to least) for goats were Q. itex, E. multiflora, V tinus, A. unedo, J. phoeniceae and P. lentiscus. The rank order by sheep was similar: Q. ilex, E. multiflora, V tinus, J. phoeniceae, P. lentiscus and A. unedo. Overall, goats ate 50.5 g/kg B.W. of shrubs per day, while sheep averaged 26.7 g/kg B.W. each day. Goats are better suited to graze Mediterranean maquis in terms of potential shrub use. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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