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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Effect of body mass index at parturition on goat milk quality and yield

Åshild T. Randby A B , Svetlana Borodina A and Ingjerd Dønnem A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, PO Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway.

B Corresponding author. Email: ashild.randby@nmbu.no

Animal Production Science 55(2) 231-236 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN14384
Submitted: 14 March 2014  Accepted: 7 July 2014   Published: 16 December 2014

Abstract

A hypothesis that goats in high body condition (BC) at kidding produce milk with lower free fatty acid (FFA) concentrations than do goats in poor condition was tested. Dry goats were measured for neck height and bodyweight 103 days prepartum, and body mass index (BMI) was calculated as bodyweight/height2, and used as a measure of BC. One-third of the goats with the highest BMI were allocated to the ‘high-BMI’ group, and the remaining two-thirds were allocated to ‘increased-BMI’ and ‘low-BMI’ groups. Until kidding, the high and low BMI groups were offered a low-energy diet, whereas the increased-BMI group was offered a high-energy diet. After parturition, all animals were offered the same diet. The goats that attained high BMI through feeding, but not those with inherent high BMI, mobilised body fat during early lactation, and increased milk yield. Milk FFA concentrations were reduced in multiparous goats, but not in yearling goats that had another genetic status and therefore were less susceptible to high milk-FFA concentrations.

Additional keywords: α-s1-casein gene deletion, body condition, fat mobilisation, free fatty acids, high-energy diet.


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