Agroforestry for forage production is a promising solution to provide additional tree-based forage and compensate for drought-induced forage losses in permanent grasslands. However, the palatability of fodder tree leaves remains poorly studied in livestock. To address this, we set up an indoor experiment in August 2024 to assess the palatability of five tree species (Morus alba, Fraxinus ornus, Tilia cordata, Salix caprea, Alnus cordata) in sheep. Six brown-headed sheep were held in three pens, with one pair of sheep per pen. After a three-day habituation period, tree leaves were fed to the sheep for one hour each morning, five days per week with a different species fed to the paired sheep each day. This setup was replicated for three weeks with leaves harvested in the field at the beginning of each week and refrigerated. Tree leaves represented 20% of the sheep’s daily dry matter intake. The remaining 80% was supplied with hay, 20% of which was given in the morning, at the same time as the leaves, and the remaining 60% in the evening. The amounts of leaves and hay offered and remaining after feeding in the morning were weighed to assess feed intake and calculate a palatability index for each species. The nutritive values of the leaves were also analysed weekly. Overall, the leaves of all species had good nutritive value (high protein and low fiber content) and were well consumed by sheep. Salix caprea was the preferred species and was consumed in similar amounts to hay, showing the highest palatability index. Morus alba, Fraxinus ornus and Tilia cordata also had a high palatability index, whereas Alnus cordata was the least preferred species. Palatability was correlated with leaf nutritive value, with species having a higher fiber content being less preferred. Altogether, our findings highlight the potential of fodder tree leaves to provide good quality forage with high palatability in sheep.
