title: Short-term effects of maternal feed restriction during pregnancy on goat kid morphology, metabolism, and behavior.
abstract: Morphometric, metabolic, and behavioral modifications were studied in goat kids after maternal feed restriction during the last one-third of pregnancy. At birth, only kids from twin and triplet litters were studied [n=40 kids born to control dams (CONT) and n=38 born to restricted dams (REST)] and only males thereafter (n=13 CONT and 15 REST kids) until slaughter at 6 wk of age. Kids born to restricted goats had a smaller abdominal girth at birth (P<0.01) and tended to have a smaller body mass index (P=0.10) and a smaller density index (P=0.09) than kids born to CONT goats. Male REST kids had a lighter birth weight (P=0.03) than male CONT kids, but no differences (all P>0.10) were found for BW and morphometric measurements thereafter. Decreased NEFA concentrations suggested that male REST kids mobilized their body reserves less than CONT kids at birth (P<0.01). No modifications in drinking tests at 3 and 5 wk of age were observed, or in feeding behavior and emotional reactivity at 5 wk of age (all P>0.10). In conclusion, maternal feed restriction in the last one-third of pregnancy resulted in a decrease in birth size, but male kids rapidly caught up, and there were no changes in behavior, morphology, or metabolism during rearing.
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 791 Modélisation Systémique Appliquée aux Ruminants, 16 rue Claude Bernard, F-75231 Paris cedex 05, France. berengerelaporte@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Laporte-Broux
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roussel
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ponter
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Perault
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chavatte-Palmer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Duvaux-Ponter
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001823:Body Composition; D001835:Body Weight; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation; D006041:Goats / Q000254:growth & development*; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000662:veterinary