Sire Influence on Juniper Consumption by Goats

Abstract

Goats avoid eating redberry juniper (Juniperus pinchottii Sudw.) when other palatable forages are available but will increase intake of juniper when exposed to the plant for several days. Intake of redberry juniper also differs among breeds and individual goats. Selection based on foraging habits could further improve juniper intake. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of sires on juniper consumption. Heritability of redberry juniper intake was assessed for 3 years (1997, 1998, 2000) by placing male Boer-Spanish cross goats from 4-8 sires (the number of sires differed among years) in individual pens and feeding juniper (200 g) daily for 2 hours over 5 to 10 days. Feeding juniper was done after weaning kid goats each year. Juniper intake was similar among sire groups within years. Heritability of juniper consumption was low (11%) across the 3 years of this study. Goats increased juniper intake daily while in individual pens. These results suggest that an acceptance of juniper by goats can be conditioned through exposure to the plant after weaning, and that juniper consumption does not appear to be a highly heritable trait. Resumen Las cabras evitan comer ''Redberry juniper'' (Juniperus pinchottii Sudw.) cuando otros forrajes más apetecibles está n disponibles, pero incrementan el consumo de ''juniper'' cuando está n expuestas a él por varios días. El consumo de ''Redberry juniper'' también varia entre razas y cabras individuales. La selecció n basada en los há bitos de forrajeo pudiera mejorar má s el consumo de ''juniper''. El propó sito de este estudio fue determinar la influencia del padre en el consumo del ''juniper''. La heredabilidad del consumo de ''Redberry juniper'' fue evaluado por 3 añ os (1997, 1998 y 2000) colocando machos cruzados de Boer-Spanish (provenientes de 4-8 padres y el nú mero de padres difirió entre añ os), en corrales individuales y alimentá ndolos con ''juniper'' (200 g) diariamente por 2 h durante 5 a 10 días. La alimentació n con ''juniper'' fue hecha después de destetar los cabritos cada añ o. El consumo de ''juniper'' fue similar entre grupos de padres dentro de añ os. La heredabilidad del consumo de ''juniper'' fue baja (11%) a través de los tres añ os del estudio. Las cabras incrementaron el consumo diario de ''juniper'' mientras estuvieron en los corrales individuales. Estos resultados sugieren que una aceptació n del ''juniper'' por las cabras puede ser condicionada a través de la exposició n a la planta después del destete, y que el consumo de ''juniper'' no parece ser una característica de alta heredabilidad.

Using Experience and Supplementation to Increase Juniper Consumption by Three Different Breeds of Sheep

“…These results are similar to the results with goats; feeding juniper in individual pens increased intake over time (Bisson et al 2001;Ellis et al 2005;Dunson et al 2007). In addition, goats continue to consume juniper when released on pasture (Dietz et al 2010).…”

“…Others have speculated that goats might be adapting to the monoterpenoids in the plant (Bisson et al 2001;Ellis et al 2005). Dunson et al (2007) illustrated that goats did not adapt to juniper through changes to the rumen environment; rather, hepatic involvement seems more likely.…”

“…Goats increase intake of juniper after feeding the plant 14 d after weaning (Bisson et al 2001;Ellis et al 2005;Dunson et al 2007). This protocol has relied on initially feeding 50 g of juniper for 30 min each day.…”

Supplements Containing Escape Protein Improve Redberry Juniper Intake by Goats

“…juniper are chemically defended woody species that have invaded millions of hectares of Texas rangelands (Ansley et al 1995;Smeins et al 1997). Several studies have shown that goats will consume juniper, particularly after feeding juniper at weaning (Bisson et al 2001;Ellis et al 2005;Dunson et al 2007). Unfortunately, intake of juniper is at times limited because monoterpenoids found in the plant cause aversive postingestive feedback (Riddle et al 1996;Pritz et al 1997).…”

Pharmacokinetic differences in exposure to camphor after intraruminal dosing in selectively bred lines of goats1

“…As to whether identification of HJC goats can affect population characteristics to the point of effective management of juniper at the landscape level, Ellis et al (2005) and Waldron et al (2009) estimated heritability of juniper consumption to be 11 to 13%, indicating that progress from selection has the potential to change the population, but not rapidly. The theoretical expected response to selection is given by the product of the heritability and the selection differential.…”