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Cactus species and tree forage hay in the diet of dairy goats

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the association of Opuntia stricta (OS) or Nopalea cochenillifera (NC) with Moringa hay (MY) or Leucaena hay (LY) on nutrient intake, ingestive behavior, serum biochemistry, and milk production and composition of dairy goat. Eight multiparous Saanen goats were used, with an average of 68 ± 8 days in milk and 48.5 ± 6 kg of initial weight, fed with the following treatment diets: OS + MY; OS + LY; NC + MY, and NC + LY. The treatments were distributed in a double Latin square, in a 2 × 2 factorial scheme (two varieties of cactus and two of hay). Goats fed with NC had higher (P < 0.05) intakes of dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and non-fibrous carbohydrates. There was no influence (P > 0.05) on milk production, but goats fed with OS produced milk with higher (P < 0.05) fat content and presented higher (P < 0.05) feed efficiency. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of the hay type on the nutrient intake and milk production and composition of goats, but the animals fed with MY had higher (P < 0.05) serum cholesterol levels and greater efficiency of NDF rumination. Goats fed with OS showed greater feeding and rumination efficiency. Our results indicated that both cactus species could be successfully included in the diet of low yielding dairy goats fed 18.4% concentrate.

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Funding

This study was funded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES); and the “Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária do Rio Grande do Norte (EMPARN)”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Production, Empresa de Pesquisa Agropecuária do Rio Grande do Norte, Eliza Branco Pereira dos Santos Street, Parnamirim, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

    José Geraldo Medeiros da Silva, Guilherme Ferreira da Costa Lima, Gustavo José Azevedo Medeiros da Silva, Lázaro Henrique de Medeiros Santos & Márcio Raimundo de Medeiros

  2. Academic Unit in Agricultural Sciences, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Avenue 160, Km 03, Macaíba, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

    Andresa Pereira da Silva, João Paulo Bezerra Saraiva, Michelly Fernandes de Macedo, Thiago Luís Alves Campos de Araújo & Dorgival Morais de Lima Júnior

  3. Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal Rural do Semiárido, Francisco Mota Street, Costa e Silva, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

    Adriano Henrique do Nascimento Rangel

Authors
  1. José Geraldo Medeiros da Silva
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  2. Andresa Pereira da Silva
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  6. Lázaro Henrique de Medeiros Santos
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  9. Michelly Fernandes de Macedo
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  11. Dorgival Morais de Lima Júnior
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Contributions

José Geraldo Medeiros da Silva, Andresa Pereira da Silva, Guilherme Ferreira da Costa Lima, Adriano Henrique do Nascimento Rangel, Gustavo José Azevedo Medeiros da Silva, Lázaro Henrique de Medeiros Santos and Márcio Raimundo de Medeiros conceptualized the study design, collected data, and conducted the experiment. João Paulo Bezerra Saraiva, Michelly Fernandes de Macedo and Thiago Luís Alves Campos de Araújo performed data analysis. Dorgival Morais de Lima Júnior wrote the first draft of the paper. Dorgival Morais de Lima Júnior reviewed and commented on the first draft. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dorgival Morais de Lima Júnior.

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All experimental procedures complied with the Ethics Committee on Animal Use (license 06/2022, Ethics Committee on Animal Use/“Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido”, UFERSA, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil).

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da Silva, J.G.M., da Silva, A.P., Lima, G.F. et al. Cactus species and tree forage hay in the diet of dairy goats. Trop Anim Health Prod 56, 83 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-024-03928-w

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