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Intake, milk yield and grazing behaviour of strip-grazing Alpine dairy goats in response to daily pasture allowance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 May 2019

A. Charpentier ,
H. Caillat ,
F. Gastal  and
R. Delagarde
A. Charpentier
Affiliation:
PEGASE, INRA Agrocampus Ouest, 16 Le Clos, F-35590 Saint-Gilles, France FERLUS, INRA, Les Verrines, F-86600 Lusignan, France
H. Caillat
Affiliation:
FERLUS, INRA, Les Verrines, F-86600 Lusignan, France
F. Gastal
Affiliation:
FERLUS, INRA, Les Verrines, F-86600 Lusignan, France
R. Delagarde*
Affiliation:
PEGASE, INRA Agrocampus Ouest, 16 Le Clos, F-35590 Saint-Gilles, France
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Grazing management has an important impact on dairy ruminants’ performance. References on the intake and milk yield of dairy goats under strip-grazing systems in temperate regions are scarce. In order to study the effect of pasture allowance on pasture intake (PI), milk yield and grazing behaviour, a trial was carried out in spring with 36 Alpine goats in mid-lactation. Three daily pasture allowances (PA=1.7, 2.6 and 3.5 kg dry matter (DM)/day, namely Low, Medium and High, respectively) were compared in a 3 × 3 Latin square design replicated six times during three successive 14-day periods. Goats individually received 268 g DM of concentrate twice daily at each milking and had access 11 h/day to pasture (from 0830 to 1600 h and from 1730 to 2100 h). Pasture intake increased with PA, and more so between Low and Medium than between Medium and High (+216 v. +101 g DM/kg DM of PA). Milk yield was lower on Low than on Medium and High (2.79 v. 3.13 kg/day), as were milk fat and protein yields. Grazing time averaged 476 min/day and was lowest on Low and greatest on Medium. Pasture intake rate was 30 g DM/h lower on Low and Medium than on High. It is concluded that under temperate conditions, when goats are supplemented with 536 g DM of concentrate and have enough access time to pasture (11 h/day), a medium pasture allowance close to 2.6 kg DM/day may be sufficient to maximise milk yield.

Keywords

nutritionytterbiumproductioneating timelifecorder
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 13 , Issue 11 , November 2019 , pp. 2492 - 2500
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2019 

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