Effects of dietary n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and ... - FINS

1 st WorkshopXIII International Feed Technology SymposiumCONCENTRATED FEEDIt is necessary to combine several nutrients in order to fulfill all the requirements ofcertain categories for intense and high production in goat farming. Concentrated feedused in nutrition of goats and their offspring include grainy nutrients, food industrydebris products and additional industrial compounds. Grainy nutrients group includescorn, oat, barley, wheat and rye, leguminous plants such as soy, peas, lupines andother plant types such as sunflower, rapeseed, cotton etc. Concentrated feeds aremuch richer in nutritional value compared to roughage so they are mutuallycombined in the nutrition of goats (8, 9, and 13). Also in case roughage is of poorquality or when goats have a need for increased nutritional value intake, concentratednutrients are unconditionally included in the meals (23).Concentrated feed in nutrition of goats can be reduced to necessary quantities; theycan be given as a roughage meal supplement in order to improve its nutritional value.They should be included in larger quantities in nutrition of high production goats.The quantity of concentrated feed used in nutrition of goats depends greatly on theproduction phase the heads are in and production level (20).Not making concentrated feed the only element in nutrition of goats, for a longerperiod of time, should be given special attention because of the harmfulconsequences to the digestive organs (6). Goats prefer eating compounds whichcontain more concentrated feed. Concentrated feed compound can contain onlygrainy nutrients or grainy nutrients mixed together with food industry debris productsand certain pellets (11, 13).NEW RECOMENDATIONS FOR GOAT FEEDINGThe optimal fulfilling of the requirements for high product results should be givenspecial attention in nutrition of goats. In order to achieve that, contemporaryregulations which consider a large number of parameters are applied. The 1981publication Nutrient Requirements of Goats (16) was one of the first references tocompile known research into a comprehensive document listing the nutritionalrequirements for goats in various stages of production. This document gainedprominence and is still used as a reference for goat nutritional requirements. Twostatements in the introduction of this publication illustrate the challenges that existedand still exist when attempting to address the nutritional requirements of goats. “It isincreasingly evident that despite similarities to sheep and cattle, goats exhibitsignificant differences in grazing habits, physical activities, water requirements, feedselection, milk composition, carcass composition, metabolic disorders and parasites.The 1981 NRC (16) has been an excellent source of information concerning goatnutritional requirements and should not be ignored. However, the tremendousamount of information, based on additional data, available in the 2004 (20, 21, 22)publications referenced should be considered when evaluating or developing newgoat feeding programs. Based on that research NRC published in 2007 newregulations in nutrient requirements of goats which represent a step forwardcompared to the former regulations from 1981.158