Nutrient requirements of the lactating goat

In addition to the dairy cow, the goat is also used for the commercial production of milk for human consumption. As in the case of the dairy cow, nutrient requirements depend upon the amount of milk being produced and its composition. 

Yield varies with breed (Table 16.12). A lactation normally lasts for about 10 months, during which time up to 1350 kg of milk may be produced. In the short term, the 

Adapted from AFRC 1994 The Nutrition of Goats, Technical Committee on Responses to Nutrients report no. 10, Wallingford, CABI. 

The composition of milk is primarily affected by the breed of the goat. Representative figures for several breeds are given in Table 16.13. As with the dairy cow, breeds producing the higher yields tend to give milk of poorer quality. 

Stage of lactation also affects the composition of the milk. Fat and solids-not-fat content fall to a minimum at about 4 months postpartmn, rise for the succeeding 3 months and then increase slowly imtU the close of the lactation. 

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The nutrient requirements of the lactating goat may be derived factoriaUy from estimates of the requirements for maintenance, milk production and liveweight change. 

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