scholarly journals Long-Term Feeding of Dairy Goats with Broccoli By-Product and Artichoke Plant Silages: Milk Yield, Quality and Composition

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1670
Author(s):  
Paula Monllor ◽  
Raquel Muelas ◽  
Amparo Roca ◽  
Alberto Atzori ◽  
José Díaz ◽  
...  

The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of a 40% inclusion of broccoli by-product (BB) and artichoke plant (AP) silages in dairy goat diets on the milk yield, composition and animal health status during a full lactation. Feed consumption was lower in AP and BB animals due to their composition and higher moisture content, and BB animals showed a significant reduction in body weight. Milk from the BB treatment had the highest fat content, total solids and useful dry matter content (5.02, 13.9 and 8.39%, respectively). The Se level was slightly lower in AP and BB animals; however, the milk of these treatments was the lowest in Na and, in the case of BB animals, the richest in Ca (1267 mg/kg). Control and AP milk showed a similar fatty acid profile, although AP had a more beneficial aptitude for human health (lower ratio of n6/n3, 12.5). Plasma components, as metabolic parameters, were adequate for goats. It was concluded that a 40% inclusion of AP is an adequate solution to reduce the cost of feeding without harming the animals’ health or performance and to improve the nutritional milk quality. It is necessary to lower the BB level of inclusion to increase feed consumption.

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. C. Nziku ◽  
G. C. Kifaro ◽  
L. O. Eik ◽  
T. Steine ◽  
T. Ådnøy

This research aimed at describing reasons for keeping dairy goats in Tanzania, and possible goals for a sustainable breeding program. Three districts, each representing a unique dairy goat breed population, were selected for the study. The Saanen, Toggenburg and Norwegian were the main dairy goat breeds in Arumeru, Babati, and Mvomero districts, respectively. A total of 125 dairy goat farmers were interviewed. A holistic approach of both quantitative and qualitative research methods was used to study the perceptions of farmers. More milk yield, sale of breeding stock and manure were the highest ranked reasons for keeping dairy goats. The reasons were coherent to the production systems. The three most preferred traits for improvement were milk yield, adaptability and twinning ability. These preferences were absolutely important in the context of the referred production system. Selection of replacement stock, animal identification and performance recording were the main challenges emphasised by farmers. The present study views these challenges as a result of knowledge gaps in animal breeding that require solutions. Based on result findings it is suggested that the milk yield and survival traits should be the primary dairy goat breeding goals. Generally, there are possibilities for developing sustainable dairy goat breeding programs in the surveyed areas given relevant breeding goals are incorporated. The design of simple and manageable dairy goat breeding schemes is necessary.


Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 541
Author(s):  
Hinz ◽  
Stracke ◽  
Schättler ◽  
Kemper ◽  
Spindler

Wet litter is the most important cause of footpad dermatitis in poultry, this in turn being a highly relevant animal-related welfare indicator. This field study was subdivided into two experiments. In Experiment 1, the standard diet was supplemented by 0.2% enriched charcoal, being a non-specific absorber and therefore might be promising in reducing faecal moisture. In Experiment 2, the experimental group received a reduced crude protein diet during weeks 6–13, combined with a 0.2% enriched charcoal supplementation. The trials were each conducted with two batches on three farms under on-farm conditions. The animals were observed at 6, 10, 14 and 18 weeks of age to collect data on body weight and different health parameters. The mortality and litter samples were analysed after slaughtering. In Experiment 1, performance and health were not affected despite higher dry matter content of the litter. In Experiment 2, the weight of birds receiving the protein-reduced diet was decreased significantly throughout the experiment. However, the slaughter weight did not differ. The mortality was reduced by 0.5% in the experimental group. Therefore, it was concluded that 0.2% of enriched charcoal is not a valuable feed-additive regarding animal health, while temporary protein reduction might have positive effects.


1980 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Gordon

ABSTRACTSeventy-two British Friesian cows, with a mean calving date of 21 January, were used in a 3 × 2 factorial design experiment to assess the effects of the interval between harvest and wilting on the value of grass silage for milk production. Three regrowth intervals of 5, 7 and 9 weeks were used with each material ensiled both unwilted and after wilting to a dry-matter content of approximately 450g/kg. The six silages were offered ad libitum in addition to 7·6 kg concentrates per day, from day 8 of lactation until 13 April, with a mean experimental period of 67·5 days. The mean intakes of silage dry matter were 11·2, 9·8 and 8·7 kg/day for the 5-, 7 and 9-week regrowth intervals respectively and 9·6 and 10·2kg/day for the unwilted and wilted silages respectively. Regrowth interval significantly affected milk yield with mean yields of 24·7, 24·2 and 22·5 (s.e. 047) kg/day being obtained for the 5-, 7- and 9-week intervals respectively. Wilting significantly depressed milk yield with mean yields of 24·8 and 227 (s.e. 0·39) kg/day being recorded with the unwilted and wilted materials respectively. Live weight at the end of the experiment was not significantly affected by any of the treatments but the rate of live-weight loss, calculated by linear regression over the experiment, and loss in body condition score both significantly increased with increasing regrowth interval. Wilting had no effect on live weight or body condition. Increasing the regrowth interval also significantly reduced the solids-not-fat and protein contents of the milk produced during the final week of the experiment but no other significant effects were recorded on milk composition.Blood analysis data are presented: blood urea was the only component affected by the treatments and decreased significantly as regrowth interval increased.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Vadlejch ◽  
Iveta Angela Kyriánová ◽  
Marián Várady ◽  
Johannes Charlier

Abstract Background: Strongylid nematode infections may negatively affect both animal health and welfare, with deleterious consequences for livestock productivity. Many farmers in recent decades have relied on anthelmintics as the sole strategy of control, but the intensive use of these chemotherapeutics has led to the development of anthelmintic resistance (AR). Knowledge of both the efficacy of anthelmintics and factors promoting AR are essential to effectively control nematode infections, but no information on these topics for goats in the Czech Republic (CR) is available. This survey aimed to determine the occurrence of AR at Czech goat farms and to identify risk factors for the development of AR. A total of 24 herds of dairy goats across the CR were evaluated using in vitro tests for detecting AR, and a questionnaire survey was carried out to evaluate factors associated with AR.Results: Resistance against benzimidazoles was confirmed at 18 (75%) farms, and the level of resistance was high in four (22%) of the affected herds based on the egg hatch test. Ivermectin-resistant nematodes were detected in 13 (54%) herds using the larval development test; Teladorsagia/Trichostrongylus and Haemonchus were the predominant types of resistant larvae. Eight (62%) of the affected herds were evaluated as highly resistant to ivermectin. Eleven (46%) of the herds were resistant to both benzimidazoles and ivermectin. This report is the first on dual AR in the CR. A univariate logistic regression analysis indicated that a high stocking rate and farmer inexperience were significantly associated with ivermectin and benzimidazole resistance, respectively.Conclusions: The results of our survey suggest that AR is widespread amongst herds of dairy goats in the CR, likely due to inappropriate practices of pasture and health management. AR may be an issue for expanding dairy-goat production in the CR in the near future unless both veterinary practitioners and farmers widely adopt strategies to prevent the development of AR.


1989 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. I. Orphanos ◽  
C. Metochis

SUMMARYTopping of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) plants (removal of the inflorescence) is not practised in Cyprus. Two field experiments were carried out at Akhelia Station, in 1985 and 1986, to test whether topping increased the yield or improved leaf quality of flue-cured tobacco grown under different types of irrigation. In contrast to the results of other studies, topping when the corolla had appeared on half the flowers did not increase yield. Topping when the inflorescence was just clear of the leaves (21 leaves harvested from topped plants v. 32 leaves from untopped plants) increased fresh yield by 7·0% but dry matter yield by 18·0%. The effects of topping were more marked on the leaves reaped at the third and fourth harvests, which constituted 52% of the fresh yield or 60% of the dry matter yield. At these harvests, leaves from topped plants had a lower percentage of midrib material (18·5 v. 21·0%) than leaves from untopped plants but a higher dry matter content (19·2 v. 17·2%) and specific leaf weight (80·0 v. 56·0 g/m2). Leaves of the fourth harvest from topped plants (27% of the total fresh yield) contained appreciably more nicotine (1·34%) than leaves from untopped plants (0·40%) but had a similar content of reducing sugars (20%). Topping did not influence the N, P and K contents of the leaves.Irrigation increased fresh yield from 12·0 t/ha (225 mm water) to 24·0 t/ha (450 mm water) and dry matter yield from 2·0 to 3·8 t/ha, respectively, in Expt 1.As Cypriot tobacco growers are paid for fresh yield delivered to the curing plant, the marginal increase of fresh yield with topping will hardly cover the cost of the extra operations involved.


1981 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 633-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. L. BURGESS ◽  
J. W. G. NICHOLSON ◽  
E. A. GRANT

Two experiments were carried out, using 36 lactating Holstein cows, to determine the effect of three levels (0, 4.5 and 9.0 kg/day) of alfalfa pellets (AP) on the ad libitum consumption of early and late harvested timothy grass silages of different dry matter (DM) content. Cows consumed significantly more wilted than nonwilted silage DM for both the early and late harvested grass, although milk yields were similar for both groups. For the early harvested, wilted and nonwilted silages, feeding AP did not significantly depress silage DM intake until a level of 9.0 kg/day was reached. Total ration DM intake increased significantly with each increment of AP. With the late harvested silages, AP at the 9.0 kg/day level reduced nonwilted silage DM intake while with the wilted silage each increase of AP significantly lowered silage DM intake. Both the 4.5 and 9.0 kg/day of AP increased total DM consumption with the nonwilted silage but 9.0 kg/day of AP was required to significantly increase total DM intake for cows fed the late harvested, wilted silage. Milk yield and milk composition were not changed by the level of AP supplementation or the type of silage fed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 49 (No. 5) ◽  
pp. 205-210
Author(s):  
B. Z Saricicek

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of untreated dairy compound feeds; DCF (control) and DCFs subjected to 2% fat (F); 2.5% tannic acid (TA); 2% fat + 2.5% tannic acid (F + TA) on the milk yield and composition. In the study, 4 cows of Jersey breed were used and 4 × 4 Latin square experimental design was applied. Normal milk yield, 4% fat corrected milk yield (FCM), dry matter content of milk, non-fat solids content of milk, CP content of milk, fat content of milk, lactose content of milk, crude ash content of milk, daily DM consumption of cows, feed efficiency according to normal milk yield of cows, feed efficiency according to the FCM of cows were 11.96, 12.14, 10.89 and 11.94 kg/day (P < 0.05); 14.16, 14.50, 13.06 and 13.70 kg/day (P < 0.05); 13.37, 13.34, 13.54 and 13.41% (P > 0.05); 8.12, 8.00, 8.35 and 8.19% (P > 0.05); 3.67, 3.70, 3.87 and 3.63% (P < 0.05); 5.25, 5.34, 5.19 and 5.22% (P > 0.05); 4.97, 4.812, 5.01 and 5.042% (P > 0.05); 0.75, 0.73, 0.74 and 0.73% (P > 0.05); 15.97, 15.84, 15.94 and 15.59 kg/day (P > 0.05); 1.34, 1.31, 1.46 and 1.31 kg feed DM/kg milk (P > 0.05); 1.13, 1.09, 1.22 and 1.14 kg feed DM/kg milk (P > 0.05), respectively. According to the results it can be stated that 2.5TA and 2F treatments had positive effects on FCM milk yield and milk protein yield.  


1982 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. J. Gordon

ABSTRACTForty-four British Friesian, first-lactation heifers were used in a randomized block experiment over a 2-year period to examine the effects of two patterns of concentrate allocation during the post-calving, indoor feeding period. The animals, mean calving date 17 October (s.d. 15 days), were offered concentrates either on a high-low system consisting of 80kg/day for the first 90 days of lactation and thereafter 5-4kg/day, or on a uniform system in which 6-8 kg/day was offered from calving until going to pasture (mean of 182 days). In addition, all animals received access ad libitum to grass silage, with a mean dry-matter content and digestible organic matter in the dry matter value of 218 and 679g/kg respectively. During the 1st year all 22 animals were housed as a single group, but in the 2nd year the animals were housed in individual stalls and silage intakes recorded for all replicates. In each year all animals grazed as a single group at pasture without supplementary concentrates.Total concentrates consumed were 1163 and 1187 (s.e. 19·4)kg for the high-low and uniform treatments respectively. Although the animals on the high-low treatment reached a higher peak milk yield, there were no significant differences in milk yield over the winter period, 3257 and 3311 (s.e. 41·5) kg, or total lactation, 4862 and 4886 (s.e. 80·6)kg, for the high-low and uniform treatments respectively. The animals on the high-low treatment, however, were significantly lighter in body weight at the end of the winter but there was no difference between treatments at the end of lactation. Milk composition data are also presented.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1796
Author(s):  
Michaela Brzáková ◽  
Jana Rychtářová ◽  
Jindřich Čítek ◽  
Zuzana Sztankóová

Milk production is influenced by many factors, including genetic and environmental factors and their interactions. Animal health, especially udder health, is usually evaluated by the number of somatic cells. The present study described the effect of polymorphisms in the ACACA, BTN1A1, LPL, and SCD genes on the daily milk yield, fat, and protein percentages and somatic cell count. In this study, 590 White Shorthaired (WSH) and Brown Shorthaired (BSH) goats were included. SNP genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP and multiplex PCR followed by SNaPshot minisequencing analysis. The linear mixed model with repeated measurement was used to identify the genetic associations between the studied genes/SNPs and chosen traits. All selected genes were polymorphic in the tested goat populations and showed significant associations with milk traits. Only BTN1A1 (SNP g.599 A > G) showed a significant association with the somatic cell score. After Bonferroni correction, a significant effect of LPL g.300G > A on daily milk yield and fat percentage, LPL g.185G > T on protein percentage, and LPL G50C, SCD EX3_15G > A, and SCD EX3_68A > G on fat percentage was found. The importance of environmental factors, such as the herd-year effect, month of milking, and lactation order on all milk performance indicators was confirmed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlotta Ceniti ◽  
Nicola Costanzo ◽  
Anna Antonella Spina ◽  
Marinella Rodolfi ◽  
Bruno Tilocca ◽  
...  

The growth of filamentous fungi on fodder is recognized as responsible for fungal deterioration and mycotoxin contamination of the plant mass leads to economic losses in the dairy cow production system. Mycotoxin contamination has significant implications for human and animal health and is one of the major concerns in the food and feed chain. This research provides an insight into the variety of viable molds (i.e., filamentous microfungi) that can be isolated from hay produced in South Italy and destined to dairy cows. On different lots of hay (n = 55) collected from 20 dairy farms, a total of 33 different fungal species were identified. The most representative was Cladosporium cladosporioides (n = 46, 84%) followed by Alternaria alternata (n = 25, 45%), and Rhizopus stolonifer (n = 24, 44%). The species most closely related to aflatoxin (AF) contamination, Aspergillus flavus, was often isolated (n = 11, 20%). Regarding AF detection, all the hay samples were found to be scarcely contaminated by AFB1 and showed values from 0.0020 to 0.0077 mg/kg, below the limits established by European Union (EU legislation) (0.02 mg/kg). None of the samples were positive for Aspergillia and tested for AFB1 showed results exceeding established limits. Additionally, hay with moisture between 15.0 and 19.2% or crude ash on dry matter content ranging from 14.0 to 15.5% reported an increased presence of AFB1 (p < 0.05) compared to the other samples. All the analyzed hay samples, besides the presence of molds, can be considered safe for the presence of AFB1. Prevention of mold spoilage is mandatory to reduce the exposure of humans and animals to mycotoxins.


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