EFFECTS OF NUTRITION ON YIELD AND MILK COMPOSITION IN SHEEP AND GOATS

EFFECTS OF NUTRITION ON YIELD AND MILK COMPOSITION IN SHEEP AND GOATS

A. NEVER

he majority of sheep and goat milk produced in the world is
transformed into cheese, therefore, feeding is a major factor
affecting the quality of sheep and goat milk and, hence sheep and
goat cheese quality. This discussion is an attempt to explore the
influence of nutrition on milk yield and major milk components in
sheep and goats. Nutrition is a vital component in an attempt to
maximise milk synthesis in small ruminants, as a result correct
feeding management is desirable through appropriate estimation of
roughage to concentrate intake in order to optimize the utilization of
feed supplements. It is suffice to suggest that feeding high producing
dairy animals may be a major constraint in milk production, which
implies greater attention to diet composition, feed quality, and the
physical form of feedstuffs is required. The rate and extent to which
a dairy sheep and goat is capable of drawing upon body reserves to
meet the energy requirement at different stages of lactation is
critical in determining her ability to produce and sustain a high level
of milk production. In order to increase sheep and goat milk
production, and to ensure high feed efficiency, dairy farmers need to
pay close attention to nutritional requirement of dairy animals which
may differ during different stages of lactation.

Scientific Journal of Animal Science

2015