Concerns about beef production are growing among consumers, questioning the use of antibiotics, hormones, and metaphylactic treatments, as well as its environmental footprint. Therefore, beef production systems need to be more efficient to increase productivity while using less resources to become sustainable and reduce environmental impact. There is a need to develop and apply non-pharmaceutical alternatives to improve health, feed efficiency and performance of beef cattle. We investigated four different targeted strategies to enhance performance of beef cattle: 1) The effect of an injectable multi-mineral complex supplementation for grazing beef cows on overall mineral status, fertility, and subsequent offspring performance. Two doses of the trace mineral injection increased in pregnancy rate after artificial insemination, with a greater impact on cows with poor body condition score; 2) Inclusion of a yeast-derived product combining live yeast (probiotics) and cell wall components (prebiotics), on performance and physiological responses of beef steers during backgrounding and finishing phases. Including a yeast-derived product into a finishing diet containing monensin did not improve performance, physiological responses, and carcass quality of feedlot cattle. Nonetheless, inclusion of the yeast derived product as a substitute of monensin during the backgrounding and finishing phases decreased feed intake without affecting growth, with an overall improvement in feed efficiency; 3) Use of phytotherapy (condensed tannins) to reduce protozoa parasites load and prevent coccidiosis in peripartum beef heifers and their newborn calves. Daily supplementation of condensed tannins reduced coccidia load in heifers and newborn calves, although this reduction was transient; and 4) following the smart farming approach, validate the use of an automated scale system for grazing or feedlot beef cattle, which was able to accurately measures body weight in grazing and feedlot systems for growing and mature beef cattle while reducing cattle handling, without disrupting feeding behavior, decreasing the probability of animal lesions, accidents and optimizing labor. / Doctor of Philosophy / Diet diversification is a response of a growing economy, growing population, and urbanization, which increases the demand of meat products, especially beef, in substitution of staple foods. However, concerns around beef production and its impact on the environment are becoming more relevant for consumers. The need to produce more with less resources requires a sustainable intensification process. Specifically, beef cattle production systems are less efficient when compared to poultry or swine in terms of time and amount of feed required. Beef production systems need to focus on environmental and socially conscious strategies to satisfy the demand, increase animal health, productivity, and profitability. One approach is based on nutritional strategies and applied technologies to enhance productivity, efficiency, welfare, and health. In this dissertation we present three different strategies to improve efficiency of beef production systems: 1) using injectable trace minerals supplementation to ensure adequate mineral nutrition in grazing cows, improving their pregnancy rate to artificial insemination, particularly when cows are in poor body condition; 2) use of yeast as natural additives to successfully substitute antibiotics as growth promotants in feedlot diets with an improvement in feed efficiency; 3) use of secondary plant compounds, such as tannins, to substitute prophylactic antibiotic utilization for coccidiosis in cows and newborn calves. We demonstrate three successful strategies that can improve health, feed efficiency and reproductive performance of beef cattle, all of which are important to achieve greater productivity and profitability in beef production systems.

Les tanins condensés et les pigments polymérisés sont deux grandes familles de macromolécules qui jouent des rôles importants sur la qualité organoleptique du vin rouge. Leurs structures oligo-polymériques ainsi que leurs évolutions durant le vieillissement du vin rouge sont mal connues. L’objectif de cette étude est d’approfondir notre connaissance sur leurs structures et leurs évolutions durant le vieillissement. Durant ce travail, nous avons caractérisé, pour la première fois dans le règne végétal, une nouvelle sous-famille de tanins condensés nommés : les tanins condensés couronnes, qui ont des propriétés spécifiques. Ils sont plus polaires que des tanins condensés de type B. Durant le vieillissement, les concentrations des tanins de type B diminuent alors que celles des tanins couronnes restent plutôt stables. Leurs concentrations sont plus élevées dans les vins issus de cépage Syrah que dans les vins issus de cépage Cabernet Sauvignon et Merlot. Au niveau sensoriel, une forte corrélation entre la concentration des tanins couronnes et l’intensité d’astringence ressentie par les dégustateurs a été montrée. Un premier test d’activité biologique du tétramère couronne montre une activité inhibitrice intéressante de l’agrégation du peptide β-amyloïde impliquée dans la maladie d’Alzheimer. En même temps, une nouvelle méthode de quantification des tanins condensés liés par pont éthylidène via un marqueur spécifique en utilisant une détection par fluorescence a été développée. Concernant les pigments polymérisés avec différents types de liaisons inter-flavonoïdes, leurs mécanismes de dépolymérisation chimique en milieu acide ont été clarifiés et une méthode de quantification sur un système UPLC-Q-TOF a été développée. Les pigments oligo-/polymériques contribuent plus à la couleur du vin vieux que les pigments mono-/dimériques. La concentration des structures oligo-polymériques ayant des liaisons de type A est plus stable que celle des pigments polymérisés par des liaisons de type B ou par le pont éthylidène durant le vieillissement du vin. De plus, durant nos investigations sur les pigments polymérisés, les structures de type A-F(type A)-F(n) et de type F(n)-A-F(type A) ainsi que les formes acétylées d’anthocyane trimère et les formes acétylées des anthocyanes dimères liées par pont éthylidène ont été montrées pour la première fois. / Condensed tannins and polymeric pigments are two families of macromolecules which play important roles on the organoleptic quality of red wine. Their oligo-polymeric structures and their evolutions during red wine aging are poorly known. The objective of this study is to deepen our knowledge of their structures and their evolutions during red wine aging. During our work, we characterized, for the first time in plant kingdom, a new family of condensed tannins named : crown condensed tannins, which have specific properties. They are more polar than B-type tannins. During red wine aging, the concentration of B-type tannins decreased while the crown tannins remained stable. Their concentrations are higher in Syrah wines than in wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes. From a sensory point of view, a strong correlation between the concentration of crown tannins and the intensity of astringency rated by the tasters was obtained. The first biologic activity assay of the crown tetramer showed an interesting inhibitory activity on aggregation of β-amyloid peptide involved in Alzheimer's disease. At the same time, a new quantification method of ethylidene bridge linked condensed tannins via a specific marker using fluorescence detection has been developed. Concerning polymeric pigments with different types of inter-flavonoids linkages, their acidic depolymerization mechanisms have been clarified for the first time and a quantification method using a UPLC-Q-TOF system has been developed. Oligo-/polymeric pigments contributed more to the color of old wine than mono-/dimeric pigments. The concentration of the pigmented oligo-polymers with A type linkages is more stable than that of polymeric pigments by B-type linkages or by ethylidene bridge during red wine aging. In addition, during our study of polymeric pigments, A-F(A type)-F(n) and F(n)-A-F(A type) structures as well as the acetylated form of trimeric anthocyanin and acetylated forms of dimeric anthocyanin linked by ethylidene bridge have been shown for the first time.

Beef cattle production is highly criticized because of the high use of land and water resources, and by the pollution (e.g., the gas methane in a cow’s breath and nitrogen in urine) produced by cows fed in feedlots. In contrast to feedlots diets and grasses, some plants (e.g., legumes) contain bioactive compounds (condensed tannins) that reduce pollution and enhance animal nutrition. In my research, I observed that cows grazing a tannin-containing legume (birdsfoot trefoil; BFT) had methane emissions similar to cows fed a feedlot ration with comparable weight gains. Cows in the BFT treatment gained more weight than cows grazing grass (meadow brome) or a legume without tannins (cicer milkvetch). Additionally, I estimated the potential areas in the state of Utah than can sustain birdsfoot trefoil production, with 412,250 ha distributed mostly in the Box elder, Cache, Millard and Sanpete counties. Thus, feeding tannin-containing legumes to cows is a viable alternative to feedlot rations, with greater levels of productivity than other pasture-based systems, which can lead to a more sustainable production of beef.

The major antinutritive factor in Leucaena for ruminants is condensed tannin (CT). CT bind proteins, incurring a negative effect on protein utilisation. The two major factors affecting the ability of CT to bind protein have been purported to be CT size and the pH of the reaction environment. To test these hypotheses the protein precipitating capacities of CT extracted from four promising Leucaena genotypes, L. leucocephala (K636), L. pallida (CQ3439), L. trichandra (CPI46568), and L. collinsii (OFI52/88) were assessed. L. leucocephala had approximately half the ability to precipitate protein on a g/g basis than L. pallida or L. trichandra while L. collinsii gave no measurable ability to precipitate protein (reaction environment=pH 5.0). Increasing or decreasing the pH of the reaction solution away from pH 5.0 (the isoelectric point of the protein) reduced the ability of CT from all the species to precipitate protein; the decrease being higher a pH 2.5 than at pH 7.5. At pH 2.5 L. leucocephala CT completely lost its capacity to precipitate protein. The relatively poor ability of L. leucocephala CT to bind protein at pH’s approximating those at the abomasum suggests L. leucocephala may have the greatest potential of the four Leucaena’s tested for increasing the extent of feed protein escaping ruminant degradation for later release and digestion in the small intestine, hence increasing the total amount of protein absorbed by ruminants. CT fractions from each Leucaena were also separated into individual CT’s, by size-exclusion chromatography and examined for protein precipitating capacity. In general it was found that the larger sized CT of the accessions L. pallida and L. trichandra could precipitate more protein than the smaller sized CT. This pattern was not found for L. leucocephala.

L’étude des interactions entre système fourrager, santé et croissance des lapins contribuera à proposer de nouvelles pratiques pour des systèmes d’élevage cunicole alternatifs, tels que ceux en agriculture biologique (AB) incluant une gestion intégrée de la santé. Mais cette stratégie est limitée par le manque de références sur la cuniculture AB, i) sur l'alimentation au pâturage (ingestion de fourrages verts, qualités nutritionnelles pour les lapins, etc) ; et ii) sur les risques sanitaires notamment le parasitisme, identifié comme un frein important au développement de la cuniculture AB. L’emploi de plantes riches en tannins condensés (TCs) comme le sainfoin, permettrait de diminuer l’utilisation d’antiparasitaires comme cela a été montré chez les petits ruminants, tant pour la gestion des nématodes que celle des coccidies. Mais le potentiel d’activité des TCs chez le lapin, tout comme le niveau d’ingestion et les performances de croissance, restent à explorer, et pourra servir la cuniculture AB et conventionnelle. Ce travail de thèse a pour objectif i) d’étudier l’intérêt du sainfoin comme ressource pour l’alimentation du lapin, et pour ses propriétés antiparasitaires, ii) définir le niveau d’ingestion au pâturage des lapins et les conséquences sur la production et iii) d’évaluer, le risque parasitaire au pâturage pour des lapins en production. Nous avons montré qu’un aliment enrichi en sainfoin distribué à partir du sevrage, avec une teneur en tannins de 1,8% d’équivalent d’acide tannique, n’a pas réduit l’installation de L3s de Trichostrongylus colubriformis, ni la fertilité des vers adultes, mais a réduit le potentiel d’éclosion des oeufs (-27 points), contribuant à réduire l’infestation de l’environnement. Un aliment enrichi en sainfoin contenant 1,2% d’équivalent d’acide tannique, distribué aux mères et aux lapins en croissance a eu un effet coccidiostatique : l’excrétion oocystale fécale de lapins nourris avec un aliment enrichi en sainfoin a été réduite de 60% par rapport à ceux ayant reçus l’aliment témoin. Si la réduction de l’excrétion oocystale de l’espèce Eimeria magna n’a pas pu être démontrée, en revanche, la réduction d’oocystes toutes espèces confondues dans l’environnement pourrait contribuer à diminuer le risque de coccidiose en élevage. Comparé à la luzerne, le sainfoin, plus riche en lignines, a une forte concentration en énergie (11,2 MJ/kg) et en protéines digestibles (110 g/kg). Au pâturage, lorsque la quantité d’herbe offerte dépasse 85 g MS/kg0,75, il semble que l’ingestion d’herbe soit régulée d’une part lorsque la teneur en énergie digestible de l’herbe dépasse 9 MJ/kg (régulation chémostatique), ou d’autre part si la teneur en lignocellulose (ADF) dépasse 350 g d’ADF/kg (régulation physique : encombrement digestif). Mais la quantité d'herbe disponible dépasse rarement 85 g MS/kg0,75. C’est-à-dire que dans la majorité des cas, une surface pâturable de 0,4 m² (minimum réglementaire) n’a pas permis de combler la capacité d’ingestion et les besoins énergétiques de lapin en croissance. De plus, si l’offre d’herbe est limitante, le lapin ne peut pas exprimer une préférence alimentaire vers des plantes plus jeunes et riches en protéines. La limitation de l’ingestion de protéines a aussi pour conséquence de réduire les potentialités de croissance des lapins et d’allonger la période d’engraissement. Au cours de trois saisons successives de pâturage (université de Perpignan), la pression parasitaire (nématodes et coccidies) a augmenté, avec des infestations par Trichostrongylus sp. et de Graphidium strigosum. Si le délai d'attente entre deux pâturages n’a pas eu d’effet visible sur l’infestation par des nématodes, cela influerait le niveau d’infection par les coccidies. Nos travaux établissent l’intérêt de l’incorporation du sainfoin dans l’alimentation du lapin et ouvrent des perspectives pour établir des pratiques innovantes et bénéfiques à la production cunicole biologique et conventionnelle. / The study of the interactions between grazing systems, health and growth in organic rabbit farming (ORF) will contribute to propose new practices including integrated management of health. However, this strategy is limited by the lack of references on ORF and in particular on rabbit intake of green fodder when grazing, nutritional qualities of forages for rabbits, the supply of grass in relation with animal’s density (stocking rate), the related parasitic challenge, etc. The acquisition of such references is a key issue for the development of ORF. The use of plants rich in condensed tannins (CTs), such as sainfoin, could reduce the use of antiparasitic agents, as shown in small ruminants, both for the management of nematodes and for coccidia. However, the potential for CTs containing resources in rabbits, as well as the intake levels and the effects on growth performances, remain to be explored in both OF and conventional rabbit breeding. The aim of this thesis was (i) to investigate the interest of sainfoin as a resource for rabbit feeding and its antiparasitic properties, (ii) to define the intake level in grazing rabbit and the consequences on production and (iii) to evaluate the parasitic risk associated with pasture for rabbits’ production. We have shown that a sainfoin-enriched diet distributed from weaning, with a feed containing 1.8% of tannic acid equivalent, did not reduce neither the establishment of Trichostrongylus colubriformis L3s, nor the fertility of adult worms. In contrast, the development of nematode’s egg to infective larvae was compromised and may reduce the risk of environmental contamination. Besides, a sainfoin-enriched diet containing 1.2% tannic acid equivalent, distributed to does and growing rabbits, had a coccidiostatic effect. With an overall fecal oocyst excretion in rabbits fed with sainfoin reduced by 60% compared to control diet. Although, the pathogenic species Eimeria magna was not concerned by these decrease, such a general reduction in oocyst excretion in the environment could help to reduce on long term the risk of coccidiosis in the rearing units. Sainfoin could constitute a real alternative to dehydrated alfalfa, since it has high digestible energy (DE, 11.12 MJ DE/kg), and protein (110 g/kg), and provide a high supply of lignins. At grazing, when the herbage allowance exceeded 85 g DM/kg0,75, it appeared that the herbage intake was limited by an increase in the DE content when it exceeds 9 MJ / kg, or else by a lignocellulose content higher than 350 g of ADF/kg. However, herbage allowance, rarely exceeds 85 g DM/kg0,75. In other words, in the majority of cases access to a 0.4 m² grazing area did not allow sufficient supply to reach the intake capacity and energy requirements of the rabbits. In addition, rabbits with limited supply cannot express their dietary preference to young and high protein plants. Limiting the intake of proteins also reduced the growth potential of rabbits and extended the fattening period. During the first three grazing seasons (University of Perpignan), the parasitic pressure (nematodes and coccidia) increased, particularly with cases of Trichostrongylus sp. and Graphidium strigosum. While rotation rhythms had no visible effects on nematode infestation, it had an influence on coccidian infection. This work enabled us to establish the advantage of sainfoin enriched diet for the rabbit. It gives prospects to further research projects regarding the establishment of beneficial and innovative practices for organic and conventional rabbit breeding.

Plants naturally produce primary and secondary metabolites. Primary metabolites are directly involved with plant growth and metabolic function. Plant secondary metabolites (PSM) were once thought of as metabolic waste products, and more recently viewed as toxins to herbivores. However, ongoing research shows that PSM are beneficial to herbivores at low doses, and PSM aid plants by attracting pollinators, recovering from injury, protecting from ultraviolet radiation, increasing drought tolerance, and aid in defense against pathogens, diseases, and herbivores. Plant secondary metabolites also influence soil nutrient cycling, and can increase the sustainability of agroecosystems. Endophyte-infected tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) , which contains ergovaline, and reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), containing gramine, were studied along with the legumes alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) which contains saponins, and tannin-containing sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.). This dissertation researches (i) how planting configuration (monocultures vs. two-way mixtures) influences PSM and total N in plants, (ii) how cattle grazing forages containing PSM affects soil quality, nutrient cycling, and PSM, and (iii) how cattle manure from different diets, containing different PSM, influences soil nutrient cycling.

No description available.

Master of Science / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / KC Olson / Condensed tannins (CT) in plants are phenolic compounds with relatively high binding affinities for proteins. In ruminants, dietary CT limit DM intake and digestibility, and ruminal protein degradation by forming CT-protein complexes. Effects of dietary CT, animal species, prior dietary CT exposure, and antimicrobial inclusion on 48-h rate and extent of digestion were measured in two in vitro experiments. Cattle, sheep, and goats (n = 3 / species) were used in a 2-period, randomized complete-block experiment with a 2 × 3 × 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. Factor 1 was substrate: tannin-free or high-CT. Factor 2 was source of ruminal fluid inoculum: cattle, sheep, or goat. Factor 3 was prior animal exposure to a high-CT diet: non-exposed or exposed. Factor 4 was inclusion of antimicrobials: no antimicrobial, penicillin + streptomycin to suppress bacterial activity, or cycloheximide to suppress fungal activity in the fermentation. Tannin-free or high-CT substrates were incubated in vitro using ruminal fluid from animals either not exposed (period 1) or exposed to dietary CT (period 2). Periods consisted of an adaptation to tannin-free (10 d) or high-CT diets (21 d) and a 15-d period of ruminal-fluid collection via stomach tube. The presence of CT or penicillin + streptomycin in in vitro fermentation reduced (P < 0.001) total gas pressure, DM disappearance, and total VFA, acetate, propionate, butyrate, valerate, and branched-chain VFA concentrations. We concluded that: 1) CT had negative effects on fermentation, 2) prior exposure to dietary CT attenuated some but not all negative effects, and 3) CT effects were similar to the effects of penicillin + streptomycin.

Les déchets issus de l’industrie vinicole française sont traditionnellement traités et valorisés en distilleries. Ce travail porte sur l’étude de la valorisation à échelle industrielle d’un des résidus ultimes des distilleries : le marc de raisin épuisé. Les marcs issus de différents bassins de productions français ont été caractérisés chimiquement, principalement par leur taux de tannins condensés et de sucres. Les conditions d’extraction des tannins condensés ont été optimisées en laboratoire puis le procédé a été transféré à l’échelle industrielle. Plusieurs extractions ont été menées dans trois distilleries partenaires et l’analyse chimique (en termes de polyphénols, de tannins condensés, de sucres et de matières inorganiques) des différentes fractions isolées a été réalisée. Des extraits industriels ont permis la fabrication du premier panneau de particules dont l’adhésif est constitué à 80 % de tannins de marcs de raisins et renforcé à l’aide d’une résine synthétique satisfaisant à la norme européenne de cohésion interne. Ces extraits industriels ont également partiellement substitué une résine phénol-formaldéhyde pour la production de panneaux de particules. Différents post-traitements ont été réalisés sur les extraits de marcs afin d’en augmenter la réactivité chimique vis-à-vis d’agents de réticulation. Une filtration à un seuil de coupure de 1 µm a entrainé une légère amélioration des performances adhésives, alors qu’une hydrolyse acide de l’extrait les a dégradées. Un procédé d’ultrafiltration des extraits à 5 kDa ou 1 kDa a permis d’obtenir des extraits beaucoup plus réactifs et ouvre des perspectives pour la production d’adhésifs biosourcés pour le bois / Wastes from the French wine industry are traditionally treated and upgraded in distilleries. This work deals with the study of an industrial-scale valorization of a final waste from distilleries: the spent grape pomace. Pomace from different French production areas were chemically characterized, in terms of condensed tannins and polysaccharides. An extraction process of condensed tannins has been optimized in laboratory and was then transferred to an industrial scale. Several extractions were carried out in three partner distilleries and chemical analysis (in terms of polyphenols, condensed tannins, sugars and inorganics) of the different isolated fractions were performed. Industrial extracts were used for the elaboration of the first particleboard whose adhesive constituted by 80% of grape pomace tannins and strengthened with a synthetic resin to satisfy the European standard for internal bond. These industrial extracts were also used to partially substitute a phenol-formaldehyde resin for the production of particleboards. Different post-treatments were performed on the pomace extracts in order to increase their chemical reactivity toward cross linking agents. Filtration with a cut-off of 1 µm led to a slight improvement in adhesive performances, whereas acid hydrolysis of the extract have degraded it. An ultrafiltration process of the extracts at 5 kDa or at 1 kDa enabled to get much more reactive extracts and opened up prospects for the production of bio-based adhesives for wood

Les animaux sont constamment soumis à des variations de leur environnement auxquelles ils doivent s’adapter. Au sein des systèmes d’élevage qui reposent sur la stimulation de processus naturels réduisant les intrants requis pour la production, et dans une perspective agro-écologique, l’autonomie et les capacités d’adaptation des animaux apparaissent particulièrement importantes. Au pâturage, les petits ruminants sont confrontés au parasitisme par les nématodes gastro-intestinaux, qui représente une menace majeure notamment du fait du développement de résistance aux traitements anthelminthiques chimiques, et une alternative à ces traitements est l’utilisation de fourrages bioactifs contenant des composés secondaires tels que les tannins condensés. Dans ce contexte, nous avons exploré les capacités d’automédication des ovins et des caprins via l’utilisation d’aliments riches en tannins lorsque ceux-ci sont confrontés au parasitisme gastro-intestinal, en proposant plusieurs scénarios pour lesquels nous avons fait varier la complexité de l'environnement alimentaire et la charge parasitaire.Ainsi, nous avons dans un premier temps évalué les capacités des moutons à apprendre les bénéfices associés à l’ingestion d’un fourrage riche en tannins, le sainfoin, à l’aide d’une période de conditionnement, et à adapter leur sélection alimentaire suivant un changement de statut parasitaire. Dans un second temps, nous avons examiné les différences entre chèvres et moutons dans leur propension à sélectionner du sainfoin lorsque ceux-ci sont parasités, en supposant que les chèvres montreraient de meilleures capacités d’automédication. Enfin, dans une troisième expérimentation, nous nous sommes intéressés aux priorités qu’accordaient les ovins dans leur sélection alimentaire aux nutriments (énergie, protéines) et aux tannins selon leur statut parasitaire.Nos expérimentations s’accordent sur l’absence d’automédication curative. En effet, nous n’avons observé ni de sélection plus importante de l’aliment riche en tannins par les animaux parasités par rapport à ceux non parasités, ni d’augmentation de la sélection après infection. Comme nous nous y attendions, les chèvres ont montré une propension plus importante à consommer l’aliment riche en tannins que les moutons, mais n’ont néanmoins pas manifesté de meilleures capacités d’automédication. Enfin, les agneaux n’ont pas priorisé l’apport en composés bioactifs par rapport aux nutriments, mais ont considérablement augmenté leur apport en énergie après infestation. Il apparait que les niveaux de tannins que nous avons volontairement choisis modérés pour les aliments expérimentaux ont induit des bénéfices nutritionnels ayant potentiellement surpassé les effets anthelminthiques, qui étaient eux-mêmes modérés, et expliquant ainsi que les animaux parasités et les animaux sains ont sélectionné les tannins de façon similaire. Par ailleurs, des difficultés d’apprentissage peuvent également expliquer cette sélection, comme en témoigne la claire inversion de préférences pour l’aliment riche en tannins observée après que les animaux ont appris à associer l’aliment riche en tannins à ses conséquences post-ingestives, après la période de conditionnement. En ce qui concerne la flexibilité de la sélection alimentaire, les préférences alimentaires sont restées inchangées après déparasitage, probablement du fait de l’absence d’effets antinutritionnels des tannins, et du statut sécuritaire accordé aux aliments riches en tannins.Nous pensons que l’évaluation des capacités d’automédication des ruminants mérite des travaux complémentaires, notamment en explorant d’autres modèles que celui du parasitisme gastro-intestinal et des fourrages bioactifs. L’analyse de l’étiologie du comportement d’automédication, en s’intéressant à l’influence du modèle social par exemple, apparait également importante afin de favoriser un tel comportement au sein de pratiques d’élevage adaptées. / Animals are constantly facing variations in their environment to which they have to adapt. In breeding systems that rely on the stimulation of natural processes to reduce the inputs needed for production, under an agroecology perspective, animal's autonomy and adaptive abilities are particularly important. In grazing systems of small ruminants, parasitism by gastrointestinal nematodes is a major threat notably due to worms' resistance to chemical anthelminthic, and one alternative is the use of bioactive forages containing secondary compounds such as condensed tannins. Within this context, we explored the abilities of sheep and goats to self-medicate through the selection of tannin-rich feeds while facing gastrointestinal parasitism, by proposing different scenarios in which we varied the complexity of the feeding environment.We assessed the abilities of sheep to learn about the benefits of the tannin-rich sainfoin, by carrying out a conditioning period, and to adapt their diet selection according to changes in parasitic load. Secondly, we evaluated the differences between sheep and goats in their willingness to select sainfoin when parasitized, assuming that goats would show greater self-medication abilities. Thirdly, we studied the interactions between nutrients and medicines on diet selection by analyzing the way sheep selected proteins, energy and condensed tannins depending on their parasitic status.Our experiments did not support evidence for curative self-medication as we did not observe a greater selection of the tannin-rich feeds in parasitized than non-parasitized animals, nor an increase in selection following infection. As expected, kids were more willing than lambs to consume the tannin-rich feed, but they did not show greater abilities to self-medicate. Lastly, lambs did not prioritize medicine over nutrients, but greatly increased their energy intake following infection. It appears that the levels of tannins we voluntarily chose moderate for the experimental feeds, induced nutritional benefits that may have outweighed the anthelminthic ones, which were moderate, making both parasitized and non-parasitized animals select tannins in a similar way. Furthermore, learning impairment may be involved as well, as indicated by the striking reversal of preferences for the tannin-rich feed we observed once animals were helped to associate the tannin-rich feed with its consequences via conditioning. Regarding diet selection flexibility, feed preferences remained unchanged after deworming, likely because of the absence of anti-nutritional effects of tannins, and the safe status attributed the tannin-rich feeds.We think that the investigation of self-medication abilities in ruminants deserves further work, notably by exploring other models than gastrointestinal parasitism and bioactive forages. The analysis of the etiology of self-medication, by investigating the influence of the social model for example, appears also important in order to favour such behaviour by adapted farming practices.