Abstract
The study investigated amelioration effects of coconut oil (CO) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and blood metabolites in Hainan Black goat kids. Twenty-four Hainan Black goat kids (10 days of age) were assigned randomly to four treatments for 90 days, including pre-weaning (10–70 d of age) and post-weaning (70-100 d of age) days. The treatment regimens were control (CON), low CO (LCO), medium CO (MCO), and high CO (HCO) with 0, 4, 6, 8 g CO per goat per day, respectively. During the pre-weaning period, the average daily gain (ADG) linearly and quadratically increased (P < 0.05), whereas the average daily feed intake (ADFI) linearly decreased, and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) also decreased linearly and quadratically by increasing CO supplementation (P < 0.05). During the post-weaning period, increasing CO supplementation linearly and quadratically increased the BW at 100 days and ADG (P < 0.05), but quadratically decreased the ADFI and FCR (P < 0.05). The digestibility of ether extract (EE) linearly and quadratically increased with increasing CO supplementation (P < 0.05). Supplementation of CO linearly increased ruminal pH (P < 0.05), but linearly decreased (P < 0.05) ammonia-N, total VFAs, molar proportions of acetate, ruminal microbial enzyme activity of carboxymethyl-cellulase, cellobiase, xylanase, pectinase and α-amylase, and number of total protozoa, the abundance of Ruminococcus albus, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Fibrobacter succinogenes, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens, Prevotella ruminicola, and Ruminobacter amylophilus. The estimated methane emission decreased linearly and quadratically with increasing CO addition (P < 0.05). The serum concentration of triglycerides (TG), non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and growth hormone (GH) linearly (P < 0.05) increased by raising the CO supplementation. The present results indicate that CO supplementation at 6 g/day per goats is optimum due to improved growth performance and decreased estimated methane emission. Supplementation CO up to 8 g/day depressed growth and feed conversion due to its suppression of growth performance, rumen protozoa, cellulolytic bacteria and microbial enzyme activity, and reduced ADF and ADF digestibility.
Highlights
Goats are important meat-producing animals and goat meat is well-appreciated by consumers worldwide, especially in developing countries [1]
The treatments consisted of control (CON), low coconut oil (CO) (LCO), medium CO (MCO) and high CO (HCO) dosages containing 0, 4, 6, 8 g of CO per goat daily, respectively
From 10 to 70 days of age, the goat kids were fed with a milk replacer (2% of body weight (BW)) twice a day at 0800 h and 1800 h for 30 days, after which the daily milk portion was decreased by half until weaning
Summary
Goats are important meat-producing animals and goat meat is well-appreciated by consumers worldwide, especially in developing countries [1]. Hainan Black goat meat is very popular in South China because of its delicious flavors. Hainan Black goats exhibit slow growth rates and small body sizes, resulting in poor carcass characteristics [3]. Manipulation of the rumen microbial ecosystem to enhance fiber digestion, reduce the excretion of methane and urea, in order to improve the production performance of ruminants is one of the most important goals for animal nutritionists [4, 5]. Dietary fats have been used to improve ruminant growth performance and modify meat characteristics with human health benefits [6]. Further understanding of the effects of fat on rumen fermentation may help to offer a nutritional strategy to reduce rumen methane emissions and improve the quality of ruminant products
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