Water requirements of dairy goats kept in intensive systems
Résumé
The aim of this study was to compare daily evolution in dry matter intake (DMI), composition of refusals and the relationships between diet composition, feeding behaviour and rumen pH in eight mid-lactation goats fed ad libitum a control (concentrate 30% DM or D30) or an acidogenic diet (60% concentrate or D60) in a cross-over design. With D30, daily DMI was more constant than with D60 and the cell wall content of the refusals was higher than that of the offered diet. With D60, NDF content of the refusals was similar to that of the offered diet. A principal component analysis showed the relationships between rumen pH and feeding behaviour, such as the between-animal variability within a diet. This might explain the fact that some animals suffered from acidosis more than others, presumably because they were less able to adapt their feeding behaviour to the acidogenic diet.