Simulation of diets for dairy goats and growing doelings using nonlinear optimization procedures

Abstract

-The objective of this study was to simulate total dry matter intake and cost of diets optimized by nonlinear programming to meet the nutritional requirements of dairy does and growing doelings. The mathematical model was programmed in a Microsoft Excel ® spreadsheet. Increasing values of body mass and average daily weight gain for growing doelings and increasing body mass values and milk yield for dairy does were used as inputs for optimizations. Three objective functions were considered: minimization of the dietary cost, dry matter intake maximization, and maximization of the efficiency of use of the ingested crude protein. To solve the proposed problems we used the Excel ® Solver ® algorithm. The Excel ® Solver ® was able to balance diets containing different objective functions and provided different spaces of feasible solutions. The best solutions are obtained by least-cost formulations; the other two objective functions, namely maximize dry matter intake and maximize crude protein use, do not produce favorable diets in terms of costs.

Design and Development of Self-Made Cost-Effective Microsoft Excel Visual Basic Application for Livestock Ration Formulation

“…To find the optimal solution, the RBT uses the Excel solver. The Excel Solver is efficient in obtaining feasible solutions nonlinear model for goats and increased daily gain and milk yield [28]. The nutrients TDN and CP required for growing goat according to Mandal, 2005 [29] for goat 1 with the body weight of 20 kg and an ADG of 75 g are 351 g and 79 g, respectively, for goat 2 with the body weight of 20 kg and 100 g of ADG, the requirements are 446 g and 100 g respectively.…”