The activity of 11 hydrolytic enzymes (lactase, maltase, invertase, am
ylase, cellulase, xylanase, pectinase, fructanase, urease, protease, l
ipase) was measured in the chymus of different parts of the digestive
tract of goats between 9 and 112 days of age. Goats were weaned from m
ilk in a stepwise manner at 7 weeks of age. High lactase activity was
found in the duodenum, caecum and colon. The activity of lactase and p
rotease declined in the postnatal period and activity of maltase and p
olysaccharide-degrading enzymes increased. Activity of enzymes degradi
ng non-starch plant carbohydrates and activity of urease were higher i
n fermentative organs (rumen, caecum, colon) than in abomasum and smal
l intestine. Activity of lipase was rather low in almost all samples e
xamined. Age-related differences were more pronounced in the rumen tha
n in other parts of the gastrointestinal tract. The results indicate t
hat enzymatic activities found in weaned goats are adequate to deal wi
th various plant matter components, except for a short period after we
aning.