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Assessing effects of tannin-rich sainfoin supplements for grazing dairy goats on feed protein efficiency

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 November 2020

Florian Leiber ,
Nadine Arnold ,
Felix Heckendorn  and
Steffen Werne
Florian Leiber*
Affiliation:
Department of Livestock Sciences, FiBL, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070, Frick, Switzerland
Nadine Arnold
Affiliation:
Department of Livestock Sciences, FiBL, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070, Frick, Switzerland
Felix Heckendorn
Affiliation:
Department of Livestock Sciences, FiBL, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070, Frick, Switzerland
Steffen Werne
Affiliation:
Department of Livestock Sciences, FiBL, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070, Frick, Switzerland
*
Author for correspondence: Florian Leiber, Email: florian.leiber@fibl.org
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Abstract

This research communication presents a study evaluating the effects of dried sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) supplemented to dairy goats on their milking performance and feed protein efficiency under commercial conditions. During July and August 2015, a herd of 20 Alpine goats was divided into two treatments (n = 10), balanced by milk yield and days in milk. They were supplied with either 700 g/d sainfoin pellets (condensed tannins: 4.0 g/kg DM) or 700 g/d lucerne (Medicago sativa) pellets (condensed tannins: 0.3 g/kg DM). The goats remained in one herd and were separated by treatments only during milking. In the milking parlour each goat received 350 g of the respective pellets, twice daily. During the day, the herd had 5 h access to a high-quality pasture (crude protein >200 g/kg DM), whilst during the rest of the day and the night animals were housed and offered grass hay ad libitum. The experiment lasted for seven weeks. Individual milk yields and composition were controlled in weeks 1, 3, 5, and 7 after the start of the experiment. No differences between the treatments were found, either for milk, protein or urea yields, nor for protein, urea and fat concentrations. Urea to protein ratio in milk was lower with the sainfoin treatment. In conclusion, sainfoin compared to lucerne, supplied for 7 weeks to dairy goats at approximately 25% of the diet, had only weak beneficial and no adverse effects on milking performance, milk composition and feed protein efficiency under commercial conditions of pasture-based dairy production.

Keywords

Alfalfadairy goatmilk ureanitrogen efficiencyplant secondary compound
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 87 , Issue 4 , November 2020 , pp. 397 - 399
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Hannah Dairy Research Foundation

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