Associative effects in diets composed of alfalfa and corn soybean concentrate fed to growing cashmere goats

L Jin,C.Z Zhang,C.H Zhang,D Sang,S.L Li,H.Z Sun

doi:10.4314/sajas.v51i4.4

Abstract

The associative effects resulting from the proportions of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and non fibre carbohydrate (NFC) were explored and assessed by in vitro gas production . Total mixed rations (TMR) composed primarily of alf a lfa and corn soybean concentrate were fed to growing cashmere goats. Treatments were defined by three proportions of NFC and NDF namely 2.00 ( TMR1), 2.35 ( TMR2), and 3.00 ( that were used to grow cashmere goats , and these TRMs were incubated for 48 h ours to evaluate their influence on associative effects. The results indicated that the associative influences of these treatments on gas production occurred within the cultures predominantly at 2 8 hours, and disappeared gradually as culture time was ex tended . TMR 2 and TMR3 incubation increased gas production compared with that observed in the other groups at all incubation times P > 0.05), and these groups exhibited positive associative effects, particularly during the early hours of incubation P <0.05 )). TMR 3 displayed the best associative effect.

Highlights

Economic, environmental, and societal considerations have increasingly encouraged farmers to feed ruminant animals a Total mixed rations (TMR) that is composed of forage and concentrate
Reasonable proportioning of non-fibre carbohydrate (NFC) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) in a given TMR is vital for health, rumen fermentation and rumination activity, for cashmere goats fed on large amounts of forage
The TMR1, TMR2 and TMR3 mixtures were characterised as differing in the ratio of NFC to NDF, and were typical of diets used for growing cashmere goats

Summary

Introduction

Environmental, and societal considerations have increasingly encouraged farmers to feed ruminant animals a TMR that is composed of forage and concentrate. These methods allow evaluators to maintain experimental conditions more precisely than do the classic in vivo methods This new type of laboratory approach is based on a gas fermentation system, rumen fluid, and batch culture, combined with mathematical curve fitting. Reasonable proportioning of NFC and NDF in a given TMR is vital for health, rumen fermentation and rumination activity, for cashmere goats fed on large amounts of forage. The associative effects of three varying proportions of NFC and NDF in feed mixtures and their separate components were assessed in vitro using a gas production method

Material and Methods

Results and Discussion

Conclusion