Milk production of South African boer and indigenous feral goats under intensive and extensive feeding systems

English: The primary aim of this study was to investigate the milk production potential (quantity and quality) of Indigenous feral and Boer goat does under intensive and extensive nutritional regimes. The study was carried out at two different locations to accommodate the nutritional regimes. The extensive group was maintained at the Paradys experimental farm of the Department of Animal Science (Faculty of Agriculture), which is situated 20 km south of Bloemfontein. Whilst the intensive group was maintained on campus, at the Faculty of Agriculture, Bloemfontein. The animals used were 36 multiparous goat does, out of which 18 were Boer and 18 were Indigenous feral goats. Half (n = 9) of the Boer goats and half (n = 9) of the Indigenous goats were each randomly allocated to an extensive and intensive group. The intensively fed group received a complete diet. Each doe was given 2 kg/d and daily feed intake was recorded. In the extensive group, does were maintained on natural pastures with no feed supplementation. All does were milked twice a week. During each milking does were subjected to two milking periods. The first milking was done to empty the udder, and no records of milk production were taken. The second milking was undertaken two hours after the first milking, and the milk output from each teat was recorded and milk samples collected. The percentage milk fat, solids non-fat, lactose and protein in the samples were determined. Blood samples were taken once a week, to determine the serum progesterone concentrations, as an indicator of oestrous activity. All animals (does and kids) were weighed weekly to determine live weight changes during the post partum lactation period. Weekly teat measurements were also done. The Boer goat does produced more milk than Indigenous goats (P<0.05). The intensively fed Boer goat does produced their maximum quantity of milk (3.7 ± 1.4 I/day) during Week 4, compared to the extensive group that peaked (1.1 ± 0.7 I/day) at Week 8. Similarly, the. intensively fed Indigenous goats had their highest milk yield (1.9 ± 70 I/day) during Week 5, compared to the extensive group (1.1 ± 7.1 I/day) at Week 11. The intensively managed does had a maximum milk fat yield (8.79 ± 2.58% and 8.86 ± 3.68%) in Weeks 1 and 8 for Boer and Indigenous does, respectively. This maximum yield (not significantly different) was achieved in Weeks 1 and 5 for the same respective breeds in the extensive group. A correlation coefficient (r) of 0.073 between milk production and milk fat content was observed. Boer goats showed a trend of producing a higher milk lactose content throughout the trial. Boer goats fed intensively yielded maximum (5.6 ± 1.6%) and minimum (3.8 ± 0.7%) milk protein contents in Weeks 1 and 7, respectively, while for the extensive group these values were attained during Weeks 11 (7.2 ± 4.9%) and 6 (3.6 ± 0.5%), respectively. A correlation coefficient of 0.125 was recorded between milk protein content and the daily milk yield. The Boer goats in the extensive group produced the highest mean daily SNF content (10.7 ± 5.1%). The larger Boer goats had a significant (P<0.05) higher feed intake. The correlation coefficient between feed intake and milk production was 0.7 for the Boer goat and r = 0.4 for the Indigenous goat. The mean body weight was 45.0 ± 8.7 kg vs 32.3 ± 6.1 kg for Boer and Indigenous goats under the intensive feeding regime, and 42.3 ± 8.0 kg vs 29.3 ± 4.5 kg for those under an extensive feeding regime. Considerable variation in teat lengths was recorded. Peak serum progesterone concentration was recorded during Week 7 for the Boer goats (intensive group) and Week 12 for the Indigenous goats (intensive group). Ovarian activity (progesterone levels) remained low in the extensive groups throughout the observation period. Milk yield was significantly related to the nutritional status and the breed of the goat. The Boer goat produced more milk than the Indigenous goat. It is, thus, suggested that it can be used for milk production in the rural areas of South Africa. This may improve the nutrient intake of the rural communities.