Nitrogen Utilization by Dairy Goats Offered Different Nitrogen Sources as Supplements in High Isocaloric Energy Concentrates

Abstract

Twelve growing female goats (Anglo-Nubian) were assigned to a multiple latin square design experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of additions of nitrogen (N) supplements to a high isocaloric energy ration on N utilization. In this experiment, microbial synthesis and N balance were assessed. The daily rations were either unsupplemented barley meal (BM), or BM supplemented with one of three nitrogen sources. All rations were isocaloric (3.0 Mcal ME/kg DM) and the N supplements were soybean meal (BSBM), cottonseed meal (BCSM) or urea (BU) to provide 2.9% N in the concentrate component. The unsupplemented BM contained 1.7% N. The addition of N supplements to the ration enhanced N utilization in dairy goats. The organic matter (OM) intake, N intake, N balance, and microbial N synthesis for BM,

A Study on the Use of Fecal Characteristics for Feed Digestibility Determination in Goat

“…Another possible reason for explaining this phenomenon was that the Nitrogen and energy content in the rations were relatively the same in all of the treatments. When the availability of energy in feed was sufficient for rumen microbial activity, the sources of nitrogen feeds (including those derived from urea) did not affect microbial N synthesis as well as in nitrogen balance of goats (Asih et al, 2011). The DM digestibility in this study which ranged at 60.88-62.13% was higher than 55-56% that was reported by Preston and Leng (1987).…”

Recent Advancement in Goat Nutrition

“…However, when urea is supplemented in the feed, there is a need to supplement it with an energy source for utilization by rumen microbes as nitrogen is not efficiently utilized by rumen microbes [103]. This can be evidenced in a study where the addition of high N supplements to high energy diets (3.0 McalME/ kg DM) enhanced the N balance and microbial protein synthesis in young dairy goats [104].…”