Performance, body water balance, ingestive behavior and blood metabolites in goats fed with Cactus Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica L. Miller) silage subjected to an intermittent water supply.

• Autor(a) principal: ALBUQUERQUER, I.
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: ARAUJO, G. G. L. de, SANTOS, F., CARVALHO, G., SANTOS, E., NOBRE, I., BEZERRA, L., SILVA JÚNIOR, J., SILVA FILHO, E., OLIVEIRA, R.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da EMBRAPA (Repository Open Access to Scientific Information from EMBRAPA - Alice)
• Texto Completo: http://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/alice/handle/doc/1130085
• topic: Silagem de pera; Silagem de palma forrageira; Silagem mista; Desempenho da água corporal; Silagem; Ovino; Palma Forrageira; Pastagem Mista; Metabolismo; Goats; Water metabolism; Silage; Digestibility; Opuntia

This study evaluated the performance, body water balance, ingestive behavior and blood metabolites in goats fed with cactus pear silage subjected to an intermittent water supply. Thirty-six goats were distributed in a randomized block design arranged as a 3 × 3 factorial with cactus pear silage in the goats? diet (on a 0%, 21% and 42% dry matter-DM basis) and water offer frequency (ad libitum, and 24 and 48 h water restrictions). There was an interaction only between the cactus pear silage level and water offerings for drinking water. Goats fed 42% cactus pear silage had greater intake of non-fibrous carbohydrates, energy, Ca, Mg and Na minerals, water intake, urinary water excretion, body water retention and nutrient digestibility. Cactus pear silage inclusion up to a 42% rate reduced eating and ruminating time and increased the time spent idling as well as the eating and the ruminating efficiency rate. Water restriction at 48 h reduced drinking water intake. Performance and blood metabolites were not affected by cactus silage inclusion or water offering. Cactus pear silage inclusion at up to 42% for goats is recommended during periods of water shortage in semiarid and arid regions because it improves eating, the ruminating efficiency rate, and body water retention; cactus pear silage inclusion at this rate reduces water consumption and it does not affect the performance or health of the animals.