Effect of rice bran as a replacement for oat grain in energy and nitrogen balance, methane emissions, and milk performance of Murciano-Granadina goats

Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of substituting oat grain with rice bran on energy, nitrogen and carbon balance, methane emissions, and milk performance in dairy goats. Ten Murciano-Granadina dairy goats in late lactation (46.1 ± 3.07 kg) were assigned to 2 treatments in a crossover design, where each goat received both treatments in 2 periods. One group of 5 goats was fed a mixed ration with 379 g of oat grain/kg of dry matter (O diet) and the other group of 5 goats was fed a diet that replaced oat grain with 379 g/kg dry matter of rice bran (RB diet). Diets were formulated to be isoenergetic and isoproteic, so bypass fat was added to reach the same amount of energy in both diets. The goats were allocated to individual metabolism cages. After 14 d of adaptation, feed intake, total fecal and urine outputs, and milk yield were recorded daily over a 5-d period. Then, gas exchange measurements were recorded individually by a mobile open-circuit indirect calorimetry system using a head box. Dry matter intake was different for both diets [1.83 ± 0.11 vs. 1.61 ± 0.08 (means ± SD), for O and RB, respectively]. Metabolizable energy intake and heat production were not significantly different between diets, with average values of 1,254 [standard error of the mean (SEM) = 110.0] and 640 (SEM = 21.0) kJ/kg of BW(0.75), respectively. Significant differences were found in milk fat content (5.3 and 6.9%, SEM = 0.36; for O and RB, respectively) and milk fatty acids: medium-chain fatty acids (17.17 vs. 12.90 g/100g, SEM = 0.969; for O and RB, respectively) and monounsaturated fatty acids (20.63 vs. 28.29 g/100g, SEM = 1.973; for O and RB, respectively). Enteric CH4 emission was lower for the RB diet (23.2 vs. 30.1g/d, SEM = 2.14; for O and RB, respectively), probably because of the higher lipid content in RB diets than O diets (11.7 vs. 4.1%, respectively). Lactating goats utilized RB without detrimental effects on energy metabolism. Higher milk fat and lower CH4 emissions were observed with the RB diet compared with the O diet.

Effect of lemon leaves on energy and C–N balances, methane emission, and milk performance in Murciano-Granadina dairy goats

“…No differences between treatments were observed for MEI (998 ± 29.5 kJ/kg of BW 0.75 , on average), although our values were lower than other (1,254 kJ MEI/kg of BW 0.75 for Murciano-Granadina goats [Criscioni and Fernández, 2016] and 1,126 kJ MEI/kg of BW 0.75 for Saanen goats [Bava et al, 2001]), both at late lactation. Criscioni and Fernández (2016) used mixed diets with similar forage:concentrate ratio (35:65) than the present study. The concentrate and premix were pelleted, although the forage was alfalfa hay not pelleted.…”

“…The ALF diets presented greater (P < 0.05) energy losses in CH 4 than LEM diet, indicating that increasing the level of lipids in diet reduced the CH 4 production, as suggested by Knapp (2014). No differences between treatments were observed for MEI (998 ± 29.5 kJ/kg of BW 0.75 , on average), although our values were lower than other (1,254 kJ MEI/kg of BW 0.75 for Murciano-Granadina goats [Criscioni and Fernández, 2016] and 1,126 kJ MEI/kg of BW 0.75 for Saanen goats [Bava et al, 2001]), both at late lactation. Criscioni and Fernández (2016) used mixed diets with similar forage:concentrate ratio (35:65) than the present study.…”

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

“…The higher fat content in BB animals' milk (5.02%) was due to its lower milk yield, also related to the higher NEFA content observed, so it indicated a greater tendency for a negative energy balance, probably due to a greater mobilisation of body reserves [42]. Even though the level of NEFA in AP animals was similar to that in BB animals (0.868 mmol/L), the higher milk yield (2.21 kg/day) of the AP group meant that fat concentration was higher in the BB group than the AP group.…”

Replacement of alfalfa hay ( Medicago sativa ) with maralfalfa hay ( Pennisetum sp.) in diets of lactating dairy goats

“…Moreover, Tovar-Luna et al (2010) investigated Alpine goats during lactation and found values ranging from 0.62 to 0.68. Recently, Criscioni and Fernández (2015) found values of 0.72 for lactating goats at mid lactation when feeding mixed diets.…”