LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF FEEDING INTENSITY AND SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE UTILIZATION OF UNIMPROVED PASTURES BY DAIRY GOATS

Thirty-nine does of the Norwegian dairy breed with 391 kg to 1062 kg 4% fat-corrected milk (FCM) in the preceding lactation were allocated to two treatments with either high (H) or low (L) levels of concentrates. The experiment lasted two years and average annual milk yields in the groups were 678 and 507 kg 4% FCM, respectively. Does on H received 252 kg concentrate (DM basis) and does on L 96 kg. Feed conversion (Mcal ME/kg FCM) in the first 19 weeks of lactation was 2.05 and 2.11 for the two treatments, respectively. It was concluded that goat milk may be produced efficiently on concentrate supplementation as well as on roughage-based diets. Only limited effects of concentrate supplementation on milk yield of goats grazing mountain pastures were found, and only minimal concentrate supplementation is therefore recommended for dairy goats in mid or late lactation under feeding conditions similar to the Norwegian pasture qualities investigated.