Abstract
This work aimed to study voluntary feed intake and effect of activity on metabolizable energy requirements for maintenance (MEm) by goats at El Demokeya area in a protected and an open range site at flowering growth stage. Seven male goats were used on each site. Average body weight was 29.1 ± 5.7 Kg. Diet botanical composition was estimated using the bite-count technique. Faeces were collected using faecal collection bags. Distance walked, in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD %), voluntary intake of dry matter (DMI), digestible energy (DE), metabolizable energy (ME) and metabolizable energy intake (MEI) were assessed. In the protected range mean DMI (g/day), g/kg BW0.05). The diets of goats in the protected rangeland contained 9.62MJ ± 0.42 MJ of ME/kg DM, giving a calculated MEI of 12.13 ± 3.35 MJ/day. The MEm of goats was 6.13 MJ/day. When adding energy for activity it reaches 9.19 MJ/day. The diets of goat in the open site contained 10.04 ± 0.84 MJ of ME/Kg DM, giving MEI of 12.55 ± 3.77 MJ/day amounting to 6.13 MJ/day for the goat in this study. Adding energy for walking the total MEm requirement becomes 9.19 MJ/day. Thus, energy available for production in the protected rangeland was 2.94 MJ/day. While that in the open rangeland was 3.36 MJ/day.
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