Nutritional stres s during dry summer period is considered as a primary factor limiting goat production in the Mediterranean region. In this study, forage quality of two deciduousspecies(gall oak ( Quercus infectoriaOliv.) and Christs thorn (Paliurus spina-cristiMill.))and herbaceous species ina shrubland inthe South Marmara was determined to assess their quality andcapacity to meet goats needs. Dry matter(DM), ash, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), acid detergent lignin (ADL), dry matter digestibility (DMD), metabolic energy (ME),Phosphorus ()and Calcium (Ca)were determined in the shrubs and herb aceous.Results showed thatDM and Ca inthegall oakweredistinctlylow in April. On the other hand, itsCP and P were high in April while DMD and ME were highin Mayand June. Contents of D M, ash and Ca in the Christs thorn showed a decrease in April-May and those of CP, DMD, and ME increased in May. Herb aceoushad theirlowest DM, NDF, and ADF in April and highest CP, DMD, and ME in March -April. Consequently, when goatsneeds were conside red, goats should be fed with supplementary energy feed throughout the year except for spring months, and with CP during autumn months in order to obtain satisfactory productivity.
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Parlak et al. (2011) studied this question.