Table 3.
Effect of substitution of dry forage with corn silage on performance, milk yield, and composition in lactating Mahabadi goats.
| Item | Treatments |
SEM | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control | Corn silage | |||
| Initial body weight (kg) | 45.2 | 44.8 | 2.20 | 0.90 |
| Final body weight (kg) | 46.8 | 45.0 | 2.24 | 0.58 |
| Dry matter intake (kg DM/day) | 1706.7 | 1832.3 | 107.96 | 0.50 |
| Milk yield (g/day) | 795.1 | 876.8 | 109.5 | 0.60 |
| Fat (%) | 4.57 | 4.27 | 0.14 | 0.19 |
| Protein (%) | 4.58 | 4.49 | 0.11 | 0.54 |
| Fat to protein ratio | 1.13 | 1.20 | 0.04 | 0.19 |
| Solids (%) | 15.29 | 15.37 | 0.29 | 0.84 |
| Non-fat solids(%) | 10.02 | 9.97 | 0.09 | 0.69 |
| Lactose (%) | 4.57 | 4.61 | 0.04 | 0.56 |
| Total cell numbers (× 103 cell/mL) | 1040.20 | 671.93 | 242.48 | 0.31 |
| Urea nitrogen (mg/100 g) | 15.48a | 13.96b | 0.45 | 0.03 |
| De novo relative fats (%) | 42.93 | 41.58 | 0.63 | 0.16 |
| Preformed relative fats (%) | 33.67 | 34.15 | 0.96 | 0.73 |
| Mixed relative fats (%) | 23.40 | 24.27 | 0.61 | 0.33 |
| Free fatty acids (meq/100 g fat) | 0.92 | 1.01 | 0.05 | 0.26 |
| Saturated fatty acids (% total fatty acids) | 79.51 | 78.37 | 2.08 | 0.54 |
| Unsaturated fatty acids (%total fatty acids) | 20.49 | 21.63 | 1.42 | 0.34 |
| Monounsaturated fatty acids (%) | 13.12 | 14.41 | 1.26 | 0.26 |
| Polyunsaturated fatty acids (%) | 7.37 | 7.22 | 0.26 | 0.68 |
| C16:0 (%) | 24.10 | 25.63 | 1.00 | 0.30 |
| C18:0 (%) | 11.05 | 11.30 | 0.44 | 0.69 |
| C18:1C9 (%) | 8.52 | 10.41 | 1.08 | 0.24 |
| Non-esterified fatty acids (μeq/L) | 480.58 | 530.91 | 33.42 | 0.31 |
| Acetone (mmol/L) | 0.22 | 0.21 | 0.01 | 0.38 |
| Beta hydroxybutyrate (mmol/L) | 0.12 | 0.13 | 0.01 | 0.44 |
a,bItems within row without common superscripts differ, P ≤ 0.05.