EFFECT OF SALINE WATER INTAKE AND SALT TOLERANT PLANTS FEEDING ON SKIN PROPERTIES AND SOME PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF SHAMI GOATS IN SOUTH SINAI

Abstract

This study was carried out at South Sinai Research Station (Ras Sedr), Desert Research Center. This work aimed to assess and evaluate the impact of salinity in both drinking water and feeding salt-tolerant plants (alfalfa) on the leather physical properties, some skin histological parameters and some physiological responses of growing Shami male goats under semi-arid conditions in Sinai, Egypt. Twenty eight growing male Shami goats (2.0 – 2.5 months old and 13.02 ± 0.34 kg average body weight) were assigned randomly into four equal groups (7 each). The first group (G1; BH&TW) was fed on berseem (Trifolium alexandrnum) hay (BH) and drank tap water (TW, 274 ppm) and served as control. The second group (G2; BH&SW) was fed on BH and drank saline water (SW, 6000 ppm). The third group (G3; STP&TW) was fed on salt-tolerant plants (alfalfa) and drank TW and the fourth group (G4; STP&SW) was fed on STP and drank SW. All groups were offered concentrate feed mixture (CFM) and roughages (60:40%) to cover their maintenance and productive requirements according to Kearl (1982).