Forage sources in diets for dairy goats

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of sorghum silage, Buffel grass hay and forage palm fodder in the diet of dairy goats by means of performance tests and economic viability of different roughage sources. Eight Anglo-Nubian goats, multiparous, weighing around 40.13 ± 2.76 kg of live weight were used. The experiment lasted 84 days, consisting of four periods of 21 days, distributed in two Latin squares (4x4). The treatments represented by diets with different volumetric sources: SSCF: (sorghum silage+ forage palm+ concentrate); BHCF: (Buffel grass hay + cactus forage+ concentrate); SS: (sorghum silage+ concentrate) and BH: (Buffel grass hay + concentrate). Nutritional intake, digestibility, feed behavior, milk production and chemical composition and economic analysis were evaluated. Animals fed the BHCF diet had higher nutrient intakes and consequently were more productive in fat, protein, lactose, fat free solids and total solids. The BHCF diet led to a higher gross income in Brazilian currency. The safety margin of the SSCF diet presented the highest percentage, with 43.06%, and the BHCF diet, the lowest percentage, of 14.89. The association of forage palm with sorghum silage and Buffel grass hay can be used as a bulky source in lactating goat diets.

Nutrients intake, milk production, and production costs of dairy goats fed with high proportions of cactus cladodes genotypes Opuntia and Nopalea in association with different forage sources

“…Soares, Correia, Souza, Carvalho, and Maciel (2020) using Saanen goats and studying diets with Orelha de Elefante Mexicana (OEM) substituting up to 35% for Miúda cactus cladodes, presented DM intake with a daily mean value of 2.6 kg and milk production of 3.3 kg. With Anglo Nubian goats, Ramos et al (2020) working with 30% of the genotype (Nopalea cochenillifera), with sorghum silage or buffel hay, presented mean daily milk production values with 1.5 kg silage and 1.7 kg hay, which did not differ from each other.…”

“…The production of introduced and adapted forage species during the rainy season, and their conservation as silage and/or hay has been used in the dry period as options for strengthening livestock production systems in semiarid regions (Ramos et al, 2020;Santos, Silva, Dubeux Júnior, Lira, & Silva, 2013). In this context, sorghum silage and Tifton hay have been used in the animal diet as food with good nutritional value (Ramos et al, 2020;Sousa et al, 2018).…”

Replacement of grain maize with spineless cactus in the diet of dairy goats

“…The similar milk yield and composition, irrespective of the level of maize replaced with spineless cactus, may be associated with the high ability of the goat species to adapt to quantitative and qualitative variations of diets or forages, without changing their performance (Ramos et al ., 2020). This was confirmed by Vicente et al .…”

Intake, digestibility, milk production, ingestive behavior and gas emissions of Saanen goats fed pornunça silage with levels of condensed tannin extracted from Schinopsis brasiliensis

“…Dairy goats production represent one of the most important activities of the productive sector in the Brazilian semiarid region, being one of the main sources to ensure the food supply of rural families, generating jobs and income for the region. However, local climatic conditions promote an oscillation in the supply and nutritional value of forage, leading to a productive de cit in herds due to feed scarcity (Ramos et al, 2020;Silva et al, 2020).…”