Updating nutritional recommendations for dairy goats

Abstract

Feeding dairy goats is an area in which rapid technological changes require more and more specific feeding and nutritional recommendations. The last update was completed in 2007 and an update is now of interest. The basic animal characteristics (dynamic changes in milk, fat and protein productions and body weight) are now better understood and modeled in the INRAtion software. The requirement values for energy, protein and minerals were generally confirmed or slightly modified (pregnancy, milk). However, the laws of responses to inputs of concentrates have been focused, particularly in relation with inputs and energy balances. For lipids, much data have been published recently providing new laws of responses with a good accuracy. Outflows of possible polluting elements (methane and phosphorus) are discussed and simple equations are proposed and used. Finally, in the areas of feeding behavior, acidosis and water requirements, recent works have allowed progress and part of these data are quite applicable on farms.