366 Effects of organic versus conventional diets on dystocia rates in Nubian dams

Abstract

Abstract Organic products have been growing in popularity in the consumer market, often without evidence to support potential benefits. Many organic products promise better results than conventional products, yet research examining the use of organic products as a feedstuff in caprine diets is lacking. Additionally, the cost of organic feedstuff is much greater when compared to conventional. Reproductive success of an animal has a direct correlation with nutrition throughout pregnancy and could be impacted by organic products. Thus, potential benefits of increase of reproductive health could outweigh the initial cost of organic feedstuffs. The objective of the current study was to determine differences in dystocia occurrence between caprine dams fed conventional and organic feedstuffs in the last 6 wk of gestation. Eight gestating Nubian does (n = 4) ranging from 1 to 5 yr of age with initial BW between 45.4 and 68.5 kg were separated into two treatment groups based on BCS utilizing the American Dairy Goat Association’s BCS 1 to 5 scale. Treatment A was fed a conventional diet including 14% CP concentrate, mineral supplementation, and molasses. Treatment B was fed an equivalent USDA certified organic concentrate, mineral supplement and molasses. Dams were fed 0.907kg/d/45.4kg of BW of concentrate and mineral supplement at 0.012kg/d/45.4kg of BW in individual feeding stocks at 0630 and 1730 in the last 6 wk of gestation. All Dams were provided ad libitum to hay and water. During parturition, dystocia was defined as requiring obstetrical assistance at any point during kidding. Differences in dystocia rate between conventional and organic groups were analyzed by independent T-Test at P < 0.05. As expected, no differences were observed between organic and conventional treatment groups (p = 0.28). As a result, the increased priced of organic feedstuff was not justified for feeding over conventional products.