A feed for lactating dairy goats and a feeding method

Abstract

This invention relates to a feed and feeding method suitable for lactating dairy goats, belonging to the field of dairy animal feed technology. Milk fat is closely related to the quality and price of goat milk. Currently, low-starch diets are commonly used to prevent a decrease in milk fat. However, long-term feeding of low-starch diets cannot meet the nutritional needs of dairy goats, leading to a decline in milk production. This invention demonstrates that bile acids, as an additive, combined with a high-starch diet, can effectively improve the milk production performance of dairy goats, increasing milk fat content and milk yield. This is an effective feeding scheme that balances high-efficiency production and dairy product quality, and has significant economic implications.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of dairy animal feed technology, specifically relating to a feed and feeding method suitable for lactating dairy goats. Background Technology

[0002] The information disclosed in this background section is intended only to enhance understanding of the overall background of the invention and is not necessarily to be construed as an admission or in any way implying that such information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art.

[0003] Milk fat content is closely related to the quality and price of fresh milk. Adding fat to the diet or reducing the starch concentration is currently the main method for preventing milk fat reduction syndrome, which can increase milk fat content and improve milk fat composition. However, excessive fat addition to the diet can inhibit feed intake, leading to reduced milk production, while low-starch diets cannot meet the nutritional needs of high-producing dairy animals. While high-starch diets can ensure high milk production in dairy animals, they easily lead to milk fat reduction. Therefore, developing products that prevent milk fat reduction while ensuring animal production performance is particularly important.

[0004] Bile acids are produced by the liver and modified by gut microbiota. They interact with these microbes and regulate the body's glucose and lipid metabolism. Furthermore, during the enterohepatic circulation of bile acids, lipids are emulsified, increasing lipid absorption in the intestines. The long-chain fatty acids in milk fat mainly originate from fatty acids ingested from the blood; increasing lipid absorption in the intestines helps to increase the milk fat content of fresh milk.

[0005] In light of the current state of research, the inventors believe that existing feeding methods are insufficient to balance milk yield and quality, necessitating a feeding program suitable for lactating animals. Given that bile acids emulsify fats and have the potential to regulate lipid metabolism as signaling molecules, some farmers have added bile acids to aquatic feeds as a liver-protective measure. However, there are currently no trials using bile acids to improve milk fat in lactating dairy animals. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Studies have shown that bile acids can act as lipid emulsifiers, binding with lipids in the intestine to form chylomicrons, thereby promoting intestinal lipid absorption and potentially preventing milk fat reduction in dairy animals. This invention attempts to use bile acids as a feed additive for dairy goats, effectively reversing the milk fat reduction caused by high-starch diets. These research findings lay a solid foundation for balancing efficient production and milk quality.

[0007] Based on the effects of this technology, the present invention first provides a feed suitable for lactating dairy goats, which helps improve the metabolic state of dairy goats, and can balance milk yield and milk quality, thus having significant economic value. The feed includes a high-starch diet portion and additives, the additives being bile acids. The high-starch diet consists of the following: corn, corn silage, alfalfa hay, soybean meal, fat meal, limestone powder, dicalcium phosphate, baking soda, salt, and premix.

[0008] The high-starch diet described in this invention, compared to commonly used high-starch diets, minimizes the variety of feed ingredients used. The starch primarily originates from corn and whole-plant corn silage, ensuring the quality of the diet. The starch content in the aforementioned high-starch diet reaches over 30%, which helps improve the metabolic level of dairy goats. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the component composition of the high-starch diet is as follows:

[0009] The ingredients include 38-42% corn, 24-28% corn silage, 14-16% alfalfa hay, 12-15% soybean meal, 0.5-1.5% fat meal, 0.5-1.0% limestone powder, 0.1-0.3% dicalcium phosphate, 0.5-1.0% sodium bicarbonate, 0.2-0.8% salt, and 0.2-0.6% premix.

[0010] Currently used corn feeds include cornmeal, crushed corn, steam-flaked corn, and whole corn kernels. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, whole corn kernels are used. Feeding with processed corn requires dairy goats to ruminate and chew to break down the corn, which may increase the degradation rate of corn starch in the rumen and improve feed utilization efficiency.

[0011] The preferred method for making corn silage is to use corn feed made from the entire corn plant, i.e., whole-plant corn silage.

[0012] The premix mainly consists of trace elements, vitamins, and non-nutritive additives. Production personnel can routinely choose commercially available products, and the feeding effects are basically not significantly different. In one embodiment verified by this invention, each kg of the premix contains the following components: iron 1,310 mg, copper 437 mg, manganese 833 mg, zinc 1,528 mg, iodine 70 mg, cobalt 52 mg, calcium 35 mg, selenium 26 mg, vitamin A 381,000 IU, vitamin D3 39,900 IU, and vitamin E 1,450 IU.

[0013] In a further embodiment, the high-starch diet is formulated as follows:

[0014] Whole corn kernels 38-42%, whole-plant corn silage 24-28%, alfalfa hay 14-16%, soybean meal 12-15%, fat meal 0.5-1.5%, limestone powder 0.5-1.0%, dicalcium phosphate 0.1-0.3%, baking soda 0.5-1.0%, salt 0.2-0.8%, and premix 0.2-0.6%.

[0015] In one specific example, the ingredients in the high-starch diet are proportioned by weight as follows: whole corn kernels 40.7%, corn silage 26.5%, alfalfa hay 15.5%, soybean meal 13.6%, fat meal 1.0%, limestone powder 0.8%, dicalcium phosphate 0.2%, sodium bicarbonate 0.8%, salt 0.5%, and premix 0.4%; the intake of the high-starch diet is 2.5–3.5 kg / day.

[0016] The bile acids used are feed-grade bile acid products, such as porcine bile acids; the feeding dosage of the bile acids is 2-5 g / day, more specifically 3-4 g / day, for example, 3.1 g / day, 3.5 g / day, 3.8 g / day, 3.9 g / day, 4 g / day; in a more effective embodiment, the amount of bile acids added is 4 g / day.

[0017] The breeds of lactating dairy goats include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: Saanen dairy goats, Tugendburgh dairy goats, Henan dairy goats, Laoshan dairy goats, Yanbian dairy goats, and Tangshan dairy goats.

[0018] Secondly, the present invention provides a method for feeding dairy goats, the method comprising feeding lactating dairy goats with the feed described in the first aspect.

[0019] Preferably, the bile acids are added to the high-starch diet or to the drinking water; allowing dairy goats free access to feed and water.

[0020] Preferably, the dairy goats are fed the above-mentioned feed after lactation and are fed until the stable lactation period (approximately 150 days of lactation).

[0021] The beneficial effects of one or more of the above technical solutions are:

[0022] This invention verifies that bile acids, when used as feed additives in combination with high-starch diets, can regulate feed intake in dairy goats, improve intestinal absorption, and enhance milk production performance. This increases milk yield while simultaneously increasing milk fat content, which has significant economic implications. Furthermore, the high-starch diet and additives provided by this invention are common feed ingredients in the field, making them cost-effective and easily implemented by production enterprises and personnel, thus demonstrating promising application prospects. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of the invention. The illustrative embodiments of the invention and their descriptions are used to explain the invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the invention.

[0024] Figure 1 The effect of different bile acid supplementation doses on the fatty acid composition of milk in dairy goats fed a diet with low starch content;

[0025] Figure 2 The effect of different bile acid supplementation doses on the fatty acid source in milk of dairy goats fed a diet with low starch content;

[0026] Figure 3 The effect of adding bile acids on the fatty acid composition of milk in dairy goats fed a high-starch diet;

[0027] Figure 4 To investigate the effect of bile acid supplementation on the fatty acid source in milk from dairy goats fed a high-starch diet. Detailed Implementation

[0028] It should be noted that the following detailed description is illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of the invention. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.

[0029] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0030] Terminology Explanation:

[0031] VFA: volatile fatty acids, referring to fatty acids with carbon chains of 1 to 6.

[0032] Whole-plant corn silage: Similar to silage corn, it is corn made by harvesting the entire corn plant, including the corn ears, chopping and processing it, and then fermenting it to make silage feed. The whole-plant corn silage used in the following examples comes from fields near the pasture.

[0033] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0034] To verify the effect of bile acids as a high-starch dietary additive on the milk production performance of lactating goats, the present invention designed the following experiment:

[0035] I. Experimental Methods

[0036] Experiment 1 involved 12 healthy lactating dairy goats undergoing a 4×4 complex Latin square experiment. Each experimental period lasted 21 days, during which the goats were supplemented with bile acids at doses of 0, 1, 2, and 4 g / d, respectively. They were fed a normal diet with free access to feed and water.

[0037] Experiment 2 involved 18 healthy lactating dairy goats, randomly divided into two groups of nine each. All goats were fed a high-starch diet with free access to feed and water for 35 days. The treatments were as follows:

[0038] (1) Control group (HS): fed a high-starch diet;

[0039] (2) Bile acid supplementation group (HSB): Bile acid 4g / d was added to the high starch diet.

[0040] The compositions of the above-mentioned normal diet and high-starch diet are as follows, and all raw materials are commercially available products in this field:

[0041]

[0042]

[0043] 1 Each kg of premix contains: 1,310 mg iron, 437 mg copper, 833 mg manganese, 1,528 mg zinc, 70 mg iodine, 52 mg cobalt, 35 mg calcium, 26 mg selenium, 381,000 IU vitamin A, 39,900 IU vitamin D3, and 1,450 IU vitamin E.

[0044] For three consecutive days after the end of the trial period, feed intake, milk production, and milk composition were measured, and milk samples, rumen fluid, and blood were collected.

[0045] II. Test Results

[0046] The results of Experiments 1 and 2 are shown in Tables 1 to 4 below:

[0047] Table 1. Effects of different bile acid supplementation doses on lactation performance of dairy goats fed with diets containing normal starch content.

[0048]

[0049]

[0050] Table 2. Effects of bile acid supplementation on the production performance of dairy goats fed a high-starch diet.

[0051]

[0052] According to the results in Tables 1 and 2, under normal starch diet conditions, there was no significant effect on feed intake and milk production in lactating dairy goats; however, under high starch diet conditions, the addition of bile acids helped to increase feed intake, milk production, and milk fat content in dairy goats.

[0053] Table 3. Effects of different bile acid supplementation doses on rumen volatile fatty acids in dairy goats fed a diet with normal starch content.

[0054]

[0055]

[0056] Table 4. Effects of bile acid supplementation on volatile fatty acids in dairy goats fed a high-starch diet.

[0057]

[0058]

[0059] Volatile fatty acids (VFAs) play a significant role in animal metabolism and are closely related to rumen nutrition and rumen microorganisms in ruminants. The full digestion and absorption of nutrients by ruminants, along with microbial decomposition, produces a large amount of volatile fatty acids. According to the results in Tables 3 and 4, under low and high starch content diets, bile acid supplementation had no significant effect on rumen metabolism, indicating that bile acids have a rumen-like effect.

[0060] Table 5. Effects of different bile acid supplementation doses on blood metabolism in dairy goats fed a diet with normal starch content.

[0061]

[0062] Table 6. Effects of bile acid supplementation on blood metabolism in dairy goats fed a high-starch diet.

[0063]

[0064] (Total serum protein, TP; serum albumin, ALB; globulin, GLO; serum albumin / globulin A / G; alanine aminotransferase, ALT; aspartate aminotransferase, AST; aspartate aminotransferase / alanine aminotransferase AST / ALT; gamma-glutamyl transferase, GGT; alkaline phosphatase, ALP; total bile acids, TBA; triglycerides, TG; cholesterol, CHOL; blood glucose, GLU)

[0065] The results in Tables 5 and 6 show that, under diets with high and low starch content, bile acid supplementation can significantly increase the body's bile acid metabolism level, but has no significant effect on other blood metabolites.

[0066] Table 7. Effects of different bile acid supplementation doses on the fatty acid composition of dairy goats fed with diets containing ordinary starch.

[0067]

[0068]

[0069]

[0070] Table 8. Effects of bile acid supplementation on milk fat composition in dairy goats fed a high-starch diet.

[0071]

[0072]

[0073] In the table above, the shoulder labels a, b, and c in the same row indicate significant differences between treatment groups (P < 0.05).

[0074] Based on Tables 7 and 8, and in conjunction with... Figure 1-4 The results showed that, regardless of whether the diet was low or high in starch, bile acid supplementation could alter the composition of fatty acids in milk, especially by reducing the proportion of saturated fatty acids and increasing the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids; at the same time, it altered the source of fatty acids in milk, especially by increasing the source of preformed fatty acids.

[0075] Tables 1 to 8 above and Figures 1-4 The results confirmed that supplementing lactating goats with bile acids can promote the absorption of fatty acids in the intestines, prevent the occurrence of milk fat reduction syndrome, and lay the foundation for improving milk quality while achieving high-efficiency production.

[0076] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A feed suitable for use in lactating dairy goats, characterized in that, The feed comprises a high-starch diet and additives; the components and proportions of the high-starch diet are as follows: whole corn kernels 38-42%, whole-plant corn silage 24-28%, alfalfa hay 14-16%, soybean meal 12-15%, fat meal 0.5-1.5%, limestone powder 0.5-1.0%, dicalcium phosphate 0.1-0.3%, sodium bicarbonate 0.5-1.0%, salt 0.2-0.8%, and premix 0.2-0.6%; the additives are bile acids. The bile acids used are feed-grade bile acid products; the feeding dosage of the bile acids is 2-4 g / d; The starch content of the high-starch diet is more than 30%; Each kg of premix contains: 1,310 mg iron, 437 mg copper, 833 mg manganese, 1,528 mg zinc, 70 mg iodine, 52 mg cobalt, 35 mg calcium, 26 mg selenium, 381,000 IU vitamin A, 339,900 IU vitamin D, and 1,450 IU vitamin E.

2. The feed for lactating dairy goats as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The intake of the high-starch diet is 2.5~3.5 kg / day.

3. The feed for lactating dairy goats as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The breeds of lactating dairy goats include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: Saanen dairy goats, Tugendburgh dairy goats, Henan dairy goats, Laoshan dairy goats, Yanbian dairy goats, and Tangshan dairy goats.

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