The dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD) has been receiving increased attention in recent years; however, information on rumen fermentation, cellulolytic bacteria populations, and microbiota of female goats fed a negative DCAD diet is less. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of feeding a negative DCAD diet for goats with emphasis on rumen fermentation parameters, cellulolytic bacteria populations, and microbiota. Eighteen female goats were randomly blocked to 3 treatments of 6 replicates with 1 goat per replicate. Animals were fed diets with varying DCAD levels at +338 (high DCAD; HD), +152 (control; CON), and −181 (low DCAD; LD). This study lasted 45 days with a 30-d adaption and 15-d trial period. The results showed that the different DCAD levels did not affect the rumen fermentation parameters including pH, buffering capability, acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, sum of acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid, or the ratio of acetic acid/propionic acid (p > 0.05). The 4 main ruminal cellulolytic bacteria populations containing Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, and Ruminococcus albus did not differ from DCAD treatments (p > 0.05). There was no difference in bacterial richness and diversity indicated by the indices Chao, Abundance Coverage-based Estimator (Ace), or Simpson and Shannon, respectively (p > 0.05), among 3 DCAD levels. Both principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) weighted UniFrac distance and unweighted UniFrac distance showed no difference in the composition of rumen microbiota for CON, HD, and LD (p > 0.05). At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes was the predominant phylum followed by Firmicutes, Synergistetes, Proteobacteria, Spirochaetae, and Tenericutes, and they showed no difference (p > 0.05) in relative abundances except for Firmicutes, which was higher in HD and LD compared to CON (p < 0.05). At the genus level, the relative abundances of 11 genera were not affected by DCAD treatments (p > 0.05). The level of DCAD had no effect (p > 0.05) on growth performance (p > 0.05). Urine pH in LD was lower than HD and CON (p < 0.05). Goats fed LD had higher plasma calcium over HD and CON (p < 0.05). In summary, we conclude that feeding a negative DCAD has no deleterious effects on rumen fermentation and rumen microbiota and can increase the blood calcium level, and is therefore feasible for female goats.

The utilization of agro-industrial by-products, such as fruit residues, presents a promising strategy for providing alternative feed to ruminants amidst rising prices and limited availability of traditional roughage. In this study, we investigated the effects of Rosa roxburghii tratt residue, a local fruit residue in Guizhou province of China, on the growth, blood metabolites, rumen fermentation, and slaughter performance of Hu sheep. Ninety-six sheep were randomly divided into four groups, namely control, treatment 1, treatment 2, and treatment 3, and fed diets containing 0, 10, 20, and 30% Rosa roxburghii Tratt residue, respectively. Feeding varying levels of Rosa roxburghii Tratt residue showed no significant differences in dry matter intake, average daily gain, or the ratio of dry matter intake to average daily gain. However, sheep in the group fed with 30% Rosa roxburghii Tratt residue showed the highest gross profit. Plasma albumin content was lower in groups fed with Rosa roxburghii Tratt residue-containing diets compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, diet treatment 3 decreased plasma creatinine levels compared to control and treatment 1 (p < 0.05). Sheep in treatment 2 and treatment 3 exhibited higher plasma high-density lipoprotein level than control and treatment 1 (p < 0.05), as well as increased total cholesterol levels compared to control (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in other plasma metabolites. Rumen pH, N-NH₃, volatile fatty acids, and methane levels did not differ significantly among the four groups. However, feeding diets treatment 2 and treatment 3 resulted in decreased water holding capacity and increased shear force compared to control and treatment 1 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, pH, red chromaticity (a*), yellowness index (b*), and luminance (L*) were unaffected among the four groups of sheep. In conclusion, the inclusion of up to 30% Rosa roxburghii Tratt residue had no adverse effects on growth performance, allowing for feed cost savings without impacting rumen fermentation parameters. Rosa roxburghii tratt residue also showed benefits in improving plasma protein efficiency and enhancing lipid metabolism, albeit with limited effects on meat quality. Considering its affordability, Rosa roxburghii Tratt residue presents a practical choice for low-cost diets, ensuring economic returns.

Water and feed are needed for livestock during their long-duration road transportation. However, limited information is available on the need to supply water and feed to livestock at temporary holding stations after road transportation. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of providing water and feed at holding stations on the welfare of goats in mimic surroundings. A total of 24 Guizhou black goats were randomly divided into three groups of eight goats each as follows: deprived of water and feed (TRT0), supplemented with water ad libitum (TRT1), and supplemented with water and feed ad libitum (TRT2). Blood and rumen fluid samples were collected before loading (denoted as “PRE” in this article) and after transport (denoted as “POST” in this article). Statistical analysis was performed via the SAS procedure PROC MIXED. The 10-h road transportation period reduced body weight in TRT0 goats (p < 0.05) but not in TRT1 and TRT2 (p > 0.05). TRT0 and TRT1 goats had POST plasma glucose concentrations above their PRE values (p < 0.05). The PRE-plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) levels were higher in TRT2 compared to TRT0 (p < 0.05) goats, while the POST–PUN levels increased in TRT1 compared to TRT0 goats. The POST non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentration was higher for TRT0 compared to that in TRT1 and TRT2 (p < 0.05) goats. No difference was observed for plasma profiles of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (p > 0.05). TRT2 goats had higher POST glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity than TRT0 and TRT1 (p < 0.05) goats. TRT0 goats had higher POST plasma glucagon (GC) compared to TRT2 (p < 0.05) and had increased values compared to their own PRE level as a result of road transportation (p < 0.05). TRT2 goats resulted in a lower POST plasma heat-stressed protein-70 (HSP-70) level than TRT0. There was no difference in ruminal pH (p > 0.05). Ruminal total VFA (acetate, propionate, butyrate), and the NH₃-ammonia profiles showed a decrease (p < 0.05) after transportation in all groups. Ruminal microcrystalline cellulose, xylanase, cellobiase, and carboxymethyl cellulose activities were unaffected (p > 0.05). These combined results imply that water and feed supplementation to livestock can effectively alleviate stress responses in goats subjected to road transportation and emphasize the necessity to establish water and feed supplies even at a temporary holding pen.

Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin commonly found in animal feed and is associated with pronounced reproductive toxicity. However, most studies on ZEA’s reproductive effects have focused on female monogastric animals, while research on male ruminants remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxic and metabolic mechanisms underlying ZEA-induced damage in goat Leydig cells (LCs). The CCK8 assay was first used to determine the effective ZEA concentration (IC₅₀ ≈ 20 μM), and a cytotoxicity model was subsequently established. The model’s validity was confirmed using qRT-PCR, transmission electron microscopy, flow cytometry, and JC-1 staining. Results showed that ZEA significantly reduced LCs viability in a dose-dependent manner, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, induced cell cycle arrest, and triggered apoptosis. Targeted and untargeted metabolomics analyses revealed that ZEA disrupts steroidogenic pathways and alters steroid hormone secretion, resulting in elevated levels of progesterone, corticosterone, and androstenedione, and reduced dihydrotestosterone levels. Furthermore, 52 significantly altered metabolites were identified, predominantly enriched in glycerophospholipid metabolism, choline metabolism, and neurotransmitter vesicle pathways, with corresponding changes in gene expression. Collectively, this study has confirmed that ZEA causes harm to the reproductive cells of male goats in multiple aspects, underscoring the link between metabolic dysregulation and reproductive impairment, and offering a foundation for evaluating ZEA’s impact on goat reproductive performance.