Woody Plants Eaten by Goats

Resumen

Fifteen domestic goat raising units from Tehuaxtla and Maninalcings communities in Mixteca poblana, México, were studied to find out which woody plants parts were mainly grazed by goats. Five marked goats were sampled and watched  while grazing.  Each plant part was taxonomically  collected  and classified.  A descriptive  statistical analysis was performed to determine the number of mouthfuls/time/plant species and mouthfuls/time/plant part. A simple variance analysis (ANOVA) was also performed. Differences among mean values were determined by Dun- can’s test. Leaves, flowers, and unripened fruits were the parts most grazed by goats. With regard to woody compo- nents, legumes reached a higher percent (75 %), particularly their leaves (86 %).