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This study aims to investigate the impact of carvacrol and thymol on the quality of Beni Arouss buck semen stored in skim milk at 4 °C. Ejaculates were collected from eight Beni Arouss bucks weekly for 11 weeks, pooled, and then divided into three equal parts. Samples were diluted to 400 × 106 sperm/mL in skim milk (control) and skim milk supplemented with a single dose of 200 µM carvacrol and thymol each. Evaluations of sperm motility, viability, abnormalities, membrane integrity, lipid peroxidation, and bacterial growth were conducted at 0, 6, 24, and 48 h of liquid storage at 4 °C. After 48 h of storage, the results indicate that the addition of carvacrol positively influences total and progressive motility and viability. However, it also leads to a decrease in lipid peroxidation and bacterial growth compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Thymol showed similar results to carvacrol, except for progressive motility (p > 0.05). Bacterial growth was negatively correlated with total and progressive motility and viability (p < 0.05), while no correlation between lipid peroxidation and these parameters was observed (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of carvacrol and thymol to skim milk extender moderately improves the quality of Beni Arouss buck semen after 48 h storage at 4 °C due to its antimicrobial activity.

Le but de cette étude était d'analyser l'effet des huiles essentielles d'Origanum onites et d'Origanum vulgare sur la qualité du sperme de bouc Beni Arous pendant le stockage à 4°C. Des échantillons de sperme ont été prélevés une fois par semaine auprès de six boucs pendant dix semaines, et conservés dans du lait écrémé additionné de diverses concentrations (0 % (contrôle), 0,01 % et 0,05 %) d'huiles essentielles d'Origanum onites et d'Origanum vulgare. Les effets des huiles essentielles sur la motilité totale, la motilité progressive, la viabilité, les anomalies et la peroxydation des lipides ont été évalués à 0, 4, 8, 24, 28, 32 et 48 heures de stockage. Les principaux composés trouvés dans Origanum onites étaient le thymol (44,59%), le carvacrol (25,94%) et le γ-terpinène (13,22%), alors que le carvacrol (81,5%) était dominant dans Origanum vulgare. Les résultats indiquent que la qualité du sperme est influencée par la concentration des huiles essentielles d'Origanum onites et d'Origanum vulgare. Après 48 heures de stockage, les échantillons supplémentés avec 0,01% d'Origanum onites ont montré une motilité totale et progressive, une viabilité et une intégrité membranaire significativement plus élevées, ainsi qu'une anormalité plus faible par rapport au contrôle. De même, l'huile essentielle d'Origanum vulgare a montré des effets comparables sur la motilité totale, la viabilité et l'intégrité de la membrane. En outre, après 48 heures de stockage, le contrôle présentait la plus forte concentration de malondialdéhyde, qui est un indicateur de stress oxydatif (p < 0,05). Ces résultats suggèrent que 0,01% d'huiles essentielles ont un impact positif sur les spermatozoïdes du bouc Beni Arous pendant le stockage à 4°C, en réduisant le stress oxydatif.

This study aims to evaluate the state of precision livestock farming (PLF)’s spread, utilization, effectiveness, and evolution over the years. PLF includes a plethora of tools, which can aid in a number of laborious and complex tasks. These tools are often used in the monitoring of different animals, with the objective to increase production and improve animal welfare. The most frequently monitored attributes tend to be behavior, welfare, and social interaction. This study focused on the application of three types of technology: wearable sensors, video observation, and smartphones. For the wearable devices, the focus was on accelerometers and global positioning systems. For the video observation, the study addressed drones and cameras. The animals monitored by these tools were the most common ruminants, which are cattle, sheep, and goats. This review involved 108 articles that were believed to be pertinent. Most of the studied papers were very accurate, for most tools, when utilized appropriate; some showed great benefits and potential.

Ce travail a pour objectif d’étudier la composition chimique (teneurs en protéines brutes (PB), matière organique (MO), extrait éthéré (EE), glucides pariétaux, et tannins condensés (TC)) de 14 espèces pastorales ligneuses, en plus de la strate herbacée, disponibles au niveau des parcours forestiers du Parc Naturel de Bouhachem (PNB). Ces espèces représentent plus de 95 % de la ration sélectionnée par les caprins sur parcours forestier. D’après les analyses de laboratoire, la teneur en MO reste plus ou moins stable durant toute l’année. La teneur en EE est plus élevée durant la période sèche chez la majorité des espèces pastorales avec une moyenne de 50 g/kg MS. Toutes les espèces étudiées ont des teneurs en PB supérieures à 54 g/kg MS. Les taux les plus élevés en lignines ont été observés durant les saisons d’été et d’automne avec des moyennes de 154 et de 152 g/kg MS, respectivement. Calicotome villosa et les herbacées sont caractérisées par des teneurs faibles en TC et plus ou moins stables durant toute l’année. Pour les fibres au détergent neutre (NDF) et au détergent acide (ADF), de faibles teneurs ont été enregistrées durant le printemps avec une moyenne de 425 g/kg MS, à l’exception de Quercus suber, Myrtus communis et Lavandula stoechas qui ont les taux les plus élevés durant cette saison. Ces résultats seront utilisés pour évaluer la valeur nutritive du régime alimentaire sélectionné par les caprins dans les pâturages forestiers du PNB.

Au nord du Maroc, l'alimentation des caprins est basée sur les pâturages forestiers qui sont caractérisés par une faible disponibilité de l'offre fourragère. La substitution des ressources alimentaires conventionnelles pour le bétail par des résidus agricoles largement disponibles pourrait être utilisée dans l'alimentation des ruminants. Cependant, cette substitution nécessite préalablement la connaissance de leur apport nutritif. Ce travail vise à évaluer la composition chimique de certains de ces résidus agricoles disponibles dans la région. Des échantillons de résidus de fruits rouges (fraise et framboise) et de légumineuses (féverole, pois chiche et haricot) ont été collectés. Les paramètres étudiés étaient la matière sèche, la matière minérale, les fibres (NDF « fibres à détergeant neutre », ADF « fibres à détergeant acide » et ADL « la lignine ») et les composés secondaires (phénols totaux et tanins condensés). Les résultats ont montré que tous les paramètres différaient significativement selon les sous-produits étudiés (P

Forest rangelands are an important component of extensive goat production in the Mediterranean region. The aim of this study was to survey the floristic composition, lifespan, life forms, phytogeographic relationships, palatability degree, and forage availability of forest rangelands in Northern Morocco. To achieve this goal, a plant species inventory was carried out, and a digital herbarium was constructed. Forage availability was estimated using the quadrat method. According to the results, 358 taxa were recorded with 228 genera and 66 families. The flora is mainly dominated by Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, and Lamiaceae families. Six principal life forms of plants were recognized with the predominance of therophytes (48.3%). The Mediterranean floristic category was the most dominant in the flora (73.7%) with 264 species. The palatability degree was studied for 95 taxa, known by herders. The palatable plant group was highly represented with 32 species. Of these identified taxa, 93% were evaluated as potential sources of forage for grazing animals. The forage availability depended considerably on the season and the existing plant species (p < 0.01). The spring recorded the higher value with 3143 kg DM/ha. In conclusion, forest rangelands have a high biodiversity, which they need for rigorous protection to preserve their floristic composition and diversity.

The recent advancements in sensor technologies to monitor and record behavioral activities of livestock provide an accurate scope to extend the database and understand the animal behavior under actual grazing conditions. The aim of this work was to determine the seasonal variation in grazing activities of goats using the Global Positioning System (GPS) and leg sensor technologies. The study was conducted in the Southern Mediterranean forest pasture of Northern Morocco. Eight dairy alpine goats have been fitted with GPS tracking collars and tri-axial accelerometers over a 3-day period of each grazing season (spring, summer, and fall). Most of the behavioral activity of goats was dedicated to grazing (36 to 59%), followed by resting (22 to 30%) and walking without grazing (10 to 24%). During summer and fall, goats traveled longer distances compared to the spring. The combination of the two studied sensors provided useful data information to understand the behavioral activity of goat grazing in forest pasture.

The recent development of advanced electronic sensors to monitor and record animal grazing activity provides a real opportunity to facilitate understanding of their behavioral responses. This study aimed to characterize the grazing activity and protein–energy requirements of grazing dairy goats in a Mediterranean woodland in northern Morocco by combining two sensors, the Global Positioning System (GPS) and three axis accelerometers. An experiment was conducted in a representative woodland with eight dairy goats. Measurements were undertaken during the three main grazing seasons (spring, summer, and autumn) for two consecutive and contrasting years. Grazing activity parameters were assessed using GPS collars and leg position sensors. The results showed that grazing time was higher in spring (57% and 59%) than in summer (39% and 36%) and autumn (41% and 45%), respectively, for the dry and wet years (p < 0.001). During the two studied years, the daily horizontal distance traveled by the goats increased from spring (about 4.5 km) to summer (about 6.5 km) and autumn (about 7.4 km), while greater daily vertical distances were recorded over similar distances during summer–autumn. Several protein–energy intakes that were insufficient to cover the requirements of the grazing goats were recorded, especially in summer. The combination of GPS collars and accelerometers contributed to a better understanding of the grazing activities of dairy goats in the studied Mediterranean woodland. These findings provide useful data on the protein–energy balances of dairy goats and offer additional information that could be useful for herders and managers to enhance goat-feeding strategies and guarantee high-performance in the semi-extensive traditional goat farming system.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) and sensors technologies are increasingly used to study the grazing behavior of animals. This work was conducted to understand the grazing behavior and energy balance of goats browsing in forest rangeland using GPS and sensors technologies. Forage availability was estimated using the quadrat method during three grazing seasons. Simultaneously, eight indigenous goats were selected to explore their feeding behavior, grazing activities, and energy requirements. The experimental goats were fitted with GPS collars and leg sensors to monitor their grazing activities. At the same time, direct observation was used as a method to study their feeding behavior. Forage availability was higher during spring compared to the summer and autumn seasons. Goats recorded the highest biting rate during summer and autumn (about 22 bites/min). The highest intake rate was recorded during spring (5.6 g DM/min). During spring, goats spent most of their time on grazing (48%) in contrast to the summer and autumn (p < 0.001). They prolonged their lying down time in summer at the expense of standing duration. The time devoted exclusively to grazing (eating) was longer in spring. Walking time in summer and autumn was longer than in spring (p < 0.001). During summer and autumn, the energy balance of goats under grazing conditions was in deficit. Using GPS collars and leg sensors appears to be a useful and easily replicable method to explore and understand the seasonal changes in the grazing areas and activities of goats in a mountainous region. The results could help goat herders and managers to develop feeding and grazing systems while increasing the performance of goats in the Mediterranean forest rangeland.

The olive cake (OC) and the cactus cladodes (CC) are two alternative feed resources widely available in the southern Mediterranean region that could be used in ruminants’ diet. Their impact on the rumen bacterial ecosystem is unknown. This work aims to evaluate their effects on the microbial community and meat fatty acids of goat’s kids. Forty-four goat kids were divided into four groups receiving diets with conventional concentrate, or 35% OC, or 30% CC, or 15% OC, and 15% CC. After 3 months, these animals were slaughtered, and the rumen liquor and longissimus dorsi and semimembranosus muscles samples were collected. Animals receiving a control diet had rumen liquor with high acidity than test groups (p < 0.001). Test rumen liquor was more adapted to digest efficiently their matching diet than control liquor (p < 0.05). These feedstuffs did not affect rumen bacteria abundance and alpha diversity (richness, evenness, and reciprocal Simpson indexes), and these results were confirmed by beta-diversity tests (NMDS plot, HOMOVA, PERMANOVA). The test diets slightly affected the individual fatty acids of meat (p < 0.05) without effect on fatty acids summaries, indexes, and ratios. Thus, these alternative feed resources could take place in goat kids’ diet to diversify their feed and to reduce feed costs.

Forest rangelands contribute largely to goat diets in the Mediterranean area. Information about browsed plant quality is essential for adequate feeding management. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the temporal changes in chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of the main plant species selected by goats in the Southern Mediterranean forest rangeland during two consecutive years; these were very contrasted (dry and wet). The browsed species were composed of herbaceous, eleven shrubs, and four tree species. Overall, large variability in chemical composition, in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD), and metabolizable energy (ME) was observed among species, grazing season (spring, summer, and autumn), and years within each species. Crude protein (CP) content varied from 60 to 240 g/kg dry matter (DM). The fiber fractions, except for Quercus suber, increased significantly by advancing maturity. Due to the water stress, the lignin level presented a higher value during the spring of the dry year. Condensed tannin (CT) content varied from 2 to 184 g/kg DM. CP, IVOMD, and ME showed a negative correlation with lignin and CT. Based on the results presented herein, it is concluded that the nutritive value of the browsed plant species was highest in the spring and lowest during the summer and autumn of both studied years. With a good grazing management strategy, the selected plant species by goats could guarantee high-quality feeding resources throughout the year.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Tenebrio molitor meal (TM) and/or olive leaf powder (OL) supplementation to quail diet on animal performance, carcass yield and some blood parameters. One hundred and forty-four 1-day-old Japanese quails (body weight: 29.9 ± 0.46 g) were divided into four groups of 36 chicks, receiving four different diets, i.e., G1: Standard commercial (SCD); G2: SCD + 3% TM; G3: SCD + 3% OL; and G4: SCD + 3% TM + 2% OL. Feed and water were provided ad-libitum. The results showed that TM and OL inclusion promoted quail body weight at 5 weeks of age; p = 0.001. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) of G3 was significantly (p < 0.01) reduced compared to the other groups. Overall mortality was not different, at around 6.25%, between groups. Carcass [(71.5–74.3%)], gizzard [(2.5–2.7%)], heart [(1.1–1.2%)] and giblet [(6.8–6.9%)] yields were not influenced by the diet. No significant effect of the diet was observed for serum proteins, creatinine, urea and lipids. To conclude, the mixture of an incorporation of TM and OL in quail diet showed no adverse effects on growth performance, carcass constituent yields and serum constituents.

In the Mediterranean area, the olive cake (OC) and cactus cladodes (CC) are two alternative resources widely available that could be used for ruminants’ feeding. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of OC and/or CC diet incorporation on the production performance and quality of goat milk. Forty-four lactating goats were randomly allocated to four groups. The control one (Co) received a conventional feed. Test groups (TOC; TCC and TOC+CC) received 20% OC, 30% CC, or 15% OC and 20% CC, respectively, on concentrate dry matter basis. Over three months, milk production was evaluated, and samples were collected to analyze the milk quality. No significant differences were observed between control and test groups for daily milk production, yield, composition and acidity. In milk fat, OC incorporation increased C18:1n-9, mono-unsaturated (MUFA) and n-9 fatty acid (FA), and decreased 9t-C18:1 and poly-unsaturated FA (PUFA) (p < 0.05). Significantly highest contents of C15:0, C18:1n-9, and C21:0, and lowest levels of C4:0, 9t-C18:1, 6t-C18:2, C20:0, and PUFA were obtained with cactus cladodes administration (p < 0.05). The TOC + CC diet reduced C4:0, 9t-C18:1, 6t-C18:2, C22:6n-3, and PUFA proportions, and increased C18:1n-9, MUFA/PUFA, and thrombogenic indexes. The incorporation rates of OC and CC that could reach 20% and 30%, respectively, had no major negative effects on milk production performance, composition, and quality. Thus, they could be introduced in the diets of lactating goats.

Mediterranean forest rangelands offer an important feed source for goats. Concerns about grazing strategies and management schemes in order to ensure the rangeland sustainability of Southern Mediterranean forest have revived interest in the foraging behavior of goats. This study was conducted to investigate the seasonal changes of feeding behavior of grazing goats in the Southern Mediterranean forest rangeland of Northern Morocco during two consecutive years beginning in 2016. The direct observation method was used to compare diet composition, intake rate, and diet selectivity of goats during three seasons (spring, summer, and fall). Bite mass of each plant species selected by goats was estimated using hand-plucked simulation. The optimal foraging theory was used as a tool to explain the goats foraging decisions. Bite mass range was extremely wide and varied seasonally. The goats’ diet was largely composed of Cistus spp., Lavandula stoechas, Quercus spp., and Myrtus communis. The result shows that the smaller the bite mass, the higher the biting rate, leading to increased short term intake rates. The selection of various plant species during fall and summer enlarged the diet diversity of goats. As expected, goats preferred trees and some shrubs despite their low availability. Consequently, the most available species is not necessarily the most positively selected. Particular high and positive selection of Quercus suber was observed over seasons. The outcomes confirm the high adaptability and ability of goats to select a woody species across seasons. Knowledge about forage availability and the feeding behavior of goats could be used as the first guide for rangeland managers to ensure herd and forest sustainability.