Sheep and goats make up about 55% of the global ruminant domestic population (cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats), and their products contribute to the share of globally produced ruminant meat and milk, being about 17 and 4%, respectively. In addition, sheep and goats adapt very easily to different production conditions, from arid to humid areas and from poor extensive production systems to intensive ones. Moreover, they play a large socio-economic role in some specific economies, from subsistence in developing areas to the high specialization of breeds and farming systems, with high production levels and efficiency.

Furthermore, from a nutritional ecology point of view, small ruminants differ from large ones, but sheep and goats also have some differences between them. These species have high intake levels and high selective feeding behavior to pick parts of plants with high nutrient density, overcoming the disadvantages of the high passage rate of digesta. In addition, they are essentially more adaptable to climate change, suffering proportionally lower heat stress to large ruminants.

Glucose and lipid metabolism are very peculiar in these species, with large differences between sheep and goats in both aspects related to nutrient partitioning among the mammary gland and body reserves and to the fatty acid profile of meat and milk fat.

From these premises stems our invitation for original papers and reviews addressing research and studies on the nutrition, energy and protein metabolism of small ruminants, oriented toward understanding the biological mechanisms of feed utilization and of physiological constraints limiting production levels or affecting the quality of meat, milk, and dairy products. Proposals that focus on the energy and protein evaluation of conventional and alternative feeds and diets, and their effects on animal performance and metabolism, will be welcome. Moreover, studies on environmental impact issues, such as enteric methane production and nitrogen excretion, and particular aspects regarding the nutrition of minerals, vitamins and amino acids, will be greatly appreciated.

Dr. Luca Rapetti
Prof. Alberto Stanislao Atzori
Guest Editors

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• small ruminants
• sheep nutrition
• goat nutrition
• energy metabolism
• protein metabolism
• sustainability