Effect of silage ryegrass on production performance, milk composition, and serum related indexes of dairy goats.

The study aimed to investigate the effect of replacing 10% silage alfalfa in the basic diet with silage ryegrass on the production performance, milk composition, and serum related indexes of dairy goats. A total of 40 healthy dairy goats with similar body weight, milk production, and parity were randomly divided into two groups with four replicates in each group and five goats in each replicate. The goats in the control group were fed a basic diet, while those in the experimental group were fed a diet containing 10% silage ryegrass instead of the basic diet with the same amount of silage alfalfa. The pretrial period was one week and the trial period was eight weeks (four weeks for both pregnancy and lactation). The results showed that compared to the control group, the weight of newborn lambs and the survival rate of weaned lambs in the experimental group significantly increased (P<0.05), the milk fat rate of dairy goats in the experimental group significantly increased (P<0.05), and the number of milk somatic cells significantly decreased (P<0.05). The levels of serum IgA, IgG, and GLB in the experimental group of dairy goats significantly increased (P<0.05), while the levels of triglycerides (TG) and total cholesterol (TC) significantly decreased (P<0.05). The study indicates that replacing 10% silage alfalfa in the basic diet with silage ryegrass can improve the survival rate of the dairy goat lambs and the growth performance of the young goats, and improve the feed intake, milk production, and immune function of the dairy goats, but have no significant impact on the serum antioxidant and liver function related indexes of the dairy goats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]