Body weight gain and voluntary feed intake in meat goat does fed endophyte-infected and endophyte-free tall fescue seed

Abstract

Tall fescue is the primary pasture forage offered to goats in the southeastern United States. Data on how tall fescue endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) affects meat goat performance are lacking. In three summers, yearling does were fed diets containing tall fescue seed to assess the effect of endophyte infection on goat growth and feed intake. In 2004 and 2005, does were fed endophyte-infected (EI) or endophyte-free (EF) tall fescue seeds added to the diets for 10 wk. Feed refusals were weighed daily. The EI diet reduced (P <0.05) weight gain and increased (P<0.05) feed refusals during each year. In 2006, feed refusal values of EI pens were used to adjust feed offering to EF pens daily. When feed intake was equalised daily during treatment, weight gain was still reduced by the EI diet. These data suggest that endophyte infection in tall fescue can adversely affect meat goat performance. Keywords: goats, tall fescue, endophyte, weight gain, feed intake