Tölü Cemil
Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, 17100 Çanakkale, Türkiye.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Mar 27;15(7):963. doi: 10.3390/ani15070963.
A crucial component of small ruminant production, particularly where intensive systems are becoming more prevalent, is determining the forage-to-concentrate (F:C) ratio in their daily diets. The effects of the F:C ratio in lambs and goat kids' daily diets on growth, stereotypical behavior, and blood biochemical parameters were investigated. Eighteen Tahirova sheep lambs and 18 Turkish Saanen goat kids were used, divided into three groups using the following F:C ratios: 20:80, 60:40, and 80:20. Growth rates, weight gains, and feed conversion ratios were determined. Urea nitrogen, glucose, non-esterified fatty acids, creatine kinase, and cortisol hormones were measured in blood samples. In lambs, growth remained consistent across F:C groups. In goat kids, however, the 20:80 group showed superior growth and weight gain. Based on the F:C ratios, behavioral differences were found in forage feeding, rumination, water consumption, and standing activities. Similarly, the 20:80 group displayed higher rates of bar biting, crib biting, and wool biting in lambs, as well as bar biting, crib biting, bucket biting, and chain chewing in goat kids. Cortisol levels were significantly higher in the 80:20 group than in the 20:80 group for both species. Insufficient forage can cause abnormal stereotypical behaviors, which negatively impact animal welfare.
小反刍动物生产的一个关键组成部分，尤其是在集约化养殖系统日益普遍的情况下，是确定其日常饮食中的草料与精饲料（F:C）比例。研究了羔羊和山羊幼崽日常饮食中F:C比例对生长、刻板行为和血液生化参数的影响。使用了18只塔希罗瓦绵羊羔羊和18只土耳其萨能山羊幼崽，按照以下F:C比例分为三组：20:80、60:40和80:20。测定了生长速率、体重增加量和饲料转化率。对血液样本中的尿素氮、葡萄糖、非酯化脂肪酸、肌酸激酶和皮质醇激素进行了测量。在羔羊中，各F:C组的生长情况保持一致。然而，在山羊幼崽中，20:80组的生长和体重增加情况更佳。基于F:C比例，在草料采食、反刍、饮水和站立活动方面发现了行为差异。同样，20:80组的羔羊出现啃栏、咬槽和咬毛的比例更高，山羊幼崽出现啃栏、咬槽、咬桶和嚼铁链的比例也更高。两个物种中，80:20组的皮质醇水平均显著高于20:80组。草料不足会导致异常的刻板行为，对动物福利产生负面影响。
