Effects of perinatal nutrition on metabolic and hormonal profiles of goat kids (Capra hircus) during their first day of life.

The aim of the present work was to monitor metabolic and hormonal profiles in newborn kids, born from dams fed diets with low or high levels of energy requirements. Starting from the last month of pregnancy, 14 goats were randomly allocated to two groups: Group LD (low diet) and Group HD (high diet) that received a diet that covered 80% and 140% of their energy requirement, respectively. At delivery, the kids were weighed and a blood sample was taken before they suckled colostrum (Time 0) and 1, 2, 3, 12 and 24 h after they started suckling. Plasma insulin, IGF-I, glucose, fT3 and fT4 concentrations were not influenced by the dietary treatments, but a significant effect of time was observed as they progressively increased during the first 12 h of life. Plasma cholesterol, triglyceride, albumin, globulin and total protein plasma concentrations were significantly higher in Group HD than those of Group LD. In Group HD, cortisol concentrations were significantly lower than those of Group LD. Positive correlations were observed between LW and IGF-I (r = 0.71; p<0.05), plasma insulin and glucose (r = 0.79; p<0.05) and total protein and globulin concentrations (r = 0.97; p<0.001). Our results show that perinatal nutrition affects newborn goat kids’ metabolic and hormonal profile. (Key Words : Newborn Goat, Perinatal Nutrition, Metabolic Profile, Hormonal Profile)