Water consumption when exposed to sun and shade for native goats in the semiarid of the State of Paraiba, Brazil

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the preference and water consumption of native goats in the semiarid of Brazil. The water was freely supplied, in individual buckets, one exposed to the sun and the other in the shade. The experiment was realized using 18 animals of Moxotó, Graúna and Azul breeds, with average weight of 16,6 ± 2,4 kg, kept in confinement in individual stalls equipped with feeders and drinkers, during the period from January to February of 2009. The water temperature was measured by sensors (thermocouples type T -copper/constantan), which were coupled to a system of data acquisition. It was observed that the average water temperature exposed to the sun was 29.02 o C, and 23.85 o C in the shade. For all breeds there was a preference for the water exposed to the sun, corresponding to an average consumption of 64.71% of the total. Among the breeds, the greatest preference for water exposed to the sun was the Azul (71.18%), followed by the Moxotó (65.95%) and the Graúna (57.00%). The animals consumed more water during the day, and the average water consumption was 1.15 grams day -1 , corresponding to 6.9 % of body weight of the animals.KEYWORDS: goats behavior, native breeds, water temperature. CONSUMO DE ÁGUA QUANDO EXPOSTA AO SOL E À SOMBRA POR CAPRINOS NATIVOS NO SEMIÁRIDO PARAIBANORESUMO: O trabalho teve o objetivo de avaliar a preferência e o consumo de água por caprinos nativos no semiárido brasileiro, fornecida à vontade, em baldes individuais, sendo um exposto ao sol e outro à sombra. O experimento foi realizado, utilizado-se de 18 animais das raça Moxotó, Graúna e Azul, com peso vivo médio de 16,6 ± 2,4 kg, mantidos em confinamento, em baias individuais, providas de comedouro e bebedouro, durante o período de janeiro a março de 2009. A temperatura da água foi medida através de sensores (termopares tipo T -cobre/constantan), que estavam acoplados a um sistema de aquisição de dados. Observou-se que a temperatura média da água exposta ao sol foi de 29,02 o C, e à sombra, de 23,85 o C. Para todas as raças, houve preferência pela água exposta ao sol, correspondendo a um consumo médio de 64,71% do total. Entre as raças, a maior preferência pela água exposta ao sol foi da Azul (71,18%), seguida da Moxotó (65,95%) e Graúna (57,00%). Os animais consumiram mais água no período diurno, sendo o consumo médio de 1.150 gramas dia -1 , correspondendo a 6,9% do peso vivo dos animais.

Salinity-water levels on productive performance, physiological and behavioral responses of ½ Dorper x ½ Santa Inês crossbred sheep

“…The total water consumption was about 13.06% of the live weight of the animals, demonstrating that even the animals kept in a warm environment did not significantly increase consumption, similar to that observed by Furtado, Leite, Nascimento, Leal, & Silva (2012). It demonstrates that even the sheep receiving water with salinities above what is recommended, they consumed a sufficient amount of water for their maintenance and weight gain.…”