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The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of protected fat from palm oil on body weight and milk production and composition of lactating Lacaune ewes. Four treatments (0, 20, 40, and 60 g kg −1 as fed) of protected fat from palm oil were used to feed nine animals in each group. Isoproteic and isoenergetic diets were formulated and adjusted for each animal after milk weighing. Corn silage was used as roughage on the same proportion of concentrated to feed all animals. Milk samples were collected weekly for chemical analyses up to the seventh week of the lactation period and every other week after that until the end of the lactation period (182 days). Increased levels of protected fat in the diet of lactating ewes resulted in lower body weight gain and poor animal body condition. The production peak showed differences and was higher in the treatment of 40 g kg −1 of palm oil, but milk production during lactation was higher in animals that received 60 g kg −1 of protected fat supplementation. Animals fed 60 g kg −1 of protected fat showed the highest milk yield. We observed a positive linear effect on milk fat content, whereas the effect on milk protein, lactose, and nonfat solids was linearly negative after dairy sheep fed protected fat from palm oil. There were no changes in the amount (kg) of milk fat, protein, lactose, total solids, and nonfat solids in any of the treatments. Therefore, protected fat from palm oil is efficient to increase milk production and fat content.

The management of pastures used by horses poses various problems: swards are often grazed down rapidly, patches of bare ground and refused areas develop. In order to gain a better understanding of the plant-animal interaction behind this problem the influence of sward height on bite dimensions (bite depth, weight, volume, area) of horses was investigated. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) microswards were grown on artificial substrate to four different heights (3, 8, 15, 19 cm) but the same plant density. Biomass and bulk density for each sward height was determined. Eight horses (predominantly Thoroughbred ×) were allowed to take six bites of each grass height. Bite depth, weight, volume and bite area were calculated.Bite depth, weight, volume and area were not fixed, but increased with sward height (P < 005). For all sward heights, the horses removed between 51% and 68% of the initial grass length. The horses adjusted their bite dimensions to sward height but did not maximize food intake per bite. The response to sward height might be explained by a preference for easily digested food or the trade-off between energy intake and the cost for food processing.This experiment suggests that grass height has a major influence on bite dimensions of horses. However there may be more complex factors influencing ingestive behaviour of horses (e.g. age, dietary experience and social behaviour) that have to be considered when horses are grazing pasture.

This experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of including glycerin in kid goats diet on intake, performance and carcass traits. Twenty intact male kid goats