Comprehensive Assessment of Physiological, Biochemical, and Reproductive Parameters of Crossbred Goats in Response to Bee Pollen Supplementation

Goat populations in the United States have decreased since 2012, while consumer demand for goat products have continued to grow. As a result, more than two-thirds of the goat meat consumed in 2023 was imported. One contributing factor to the limited domestic supply may be due to suboptimal nutrition, which can negatively impact goat health and reproductive efficiency. Identifying and implementing nutritional strategies that could enhance goat productivity and herd health could help mitigate this issue, increase domestic production and reduce reliance on imports. Bee pollen (BP) is known for its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory properties, and has been promoted to humans as a natural supplement. The objective of this study is to determine if physiological, biochemical, and reproductive performance, of crossbred goats can be improved through the supplementation of BP. Procedures utilizing animals were approved by the Texas State IACUC prior to project initiation. During the sub-optimal breeding season (late summer to early fall), when decreasing day length and high temperatures can negatively impact reproductive performance, crossbred Spanish × Boer doelings (n=30) were housed in two separate 0.405 ha paddocks. Animals had access to limited grazing and were provided a supplemental diet formulated to meet their maintenance nutritional requirements. Animals either receive 10g/head of BP or did not receive any BP supplementation. Weekly assessments of BCS, LW, and blood samples were conducted, while fecal egg counts (FECs) were performed biweekly during the experiment. Blood samples were analyzed for hepatic enzyme activity, hormonal concentrations, and metabolic status. The statistical analysis for this study was conducted using the MIXED procedures of SAS software. Pens were considered the experimental unit for grouped variables, while individual animals were treated as experimental units for hematological and parasitological analysis. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to look at fixed effects of treatment, time, and their interaction, with significance set at P ≤ 0.05, and tendencies noted when 0.05 < P ≤ 0.10. No significant differences were detected between the treatment (T-BP) and control (T-CTL) groups across the measured parameters. However, numerical trends suggested possible improvements in anemia-related indicators in the T-BP group. These preliminary findings show the need for further research with longer supplementation periods, larger sample sizes, and varying dosages to further evaluate the benefits of BP in small ruminant production.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Integrated Agricultural Sciences

Grantor

Texas State University

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Rojas, Adriana

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Rosales-Nieto, Cesar A.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Sims, Reagan N.
• Bruner, Brian L.
• Cardoso, Rodolfo C.

• ruminant supplementation
• nutrition
• bee pollen
• hepatic function
• hematology
• immune function
• energy metabolism
• reproduction

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10877/22981

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/22981