Digestibility and milk production of goats fed no forage diet

Six lactating Saanen goats were used, in a Latin Square design, to compare a no forage (NF) diet with more traditional diets with grass (G) or hay (H) contributing to 55% of total DM. Diets averaged 17% CP and 32% NDF on DM. Diet NF included 26.5% dried beet pulp, 25.8% cracked carrobs, 12% soybean meal, 11.3% whole cotton seeds, 9.8% ground maize grain, 9.6% maize grain, 2% maize gluten meal and min/vit supplements; 35% of its feed particles were >4 mm. Grass quality was lower than expected, for conservation problems. With diets G, H and NF the DM intakes were 104, 116 and 106 g/LW3/4, respectively. DM digestibility was similar for diets G and H (69.7 and 70.5%) and higher with diet NF (74.1%; P<0.05). A similar trend was registered for OM and energy digestibility. Milk production results with diets G, H and NF, respectively: milk yield 3011, 3688, 3212 (P<0.05) g/d, milk fat 3.37, 3.24, 2.96% (P<0.05), milk protein 3.21, 3.35, 3.32%, milk urea N 18.8, 18.6, 12.7 mg/100 ml, (P<0.001). When fed NF diet the goats produced a milk with a higher content of short and medium and a lower content of long chain fatty acids. Diet NF proved to be “safe” for rumen function, but a good forage was more effective in promoting milk yield and quality.