CONSUMPTION OF TREE SPECIES AND SHRUBS FOR FRUITS AND HERBACEOUS GOATS TRASHUMANCE GRAZING IN MIXTECA OAXAQUEÑA, MEXICO

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the weight of the bite in dry matter (DM) most favorite tree and shrub species, the fruits (pods) and the herbaceous stratum as a component of the diet of goats under conditions of herding transhumance in the Mixteca Baja region and the coast of Oaxaca in order to establish the capacity of ingestion. Six animals of different age and sex of a herd consisting of 963 goats were chosen randomly. The method of direct observation of grazing was used in a whole day, once established preferences, simulated manually bite and to establish the group of values from each sample was measured, and weight. The ANOVA and Bartlett's Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests were. The means comparison test was used to determine the weight of the bite in dry matter of the various species, (HSD) Tukey (α, 0.05). Found a large variation prehensile act in the breadth and depth of the bite given to each depending on the type, shape and foliar surface woody species found that they graze on three anatomically different parts: on stem, in the area of the petiole and at the level of the central or main nerve of the leaf.

Keywords

• goat
• selectivity
• tree
• shrub
• browsing.