APPARENT DIGESTIBILITY AND NITROGEN-BALAN CE OF PRERUMINANT KIDS FED WITH COWS MILK OR SOYBEAN PROTEIN

Eighteen 7-day-old male kids (crossbred Saanen or Anglonubian X Brazil ian native kids) were used to study the apparent digestibility (AD) an d nitrogen retention (NR). The kids were fed twice daily either with g oat's milk (GMI), cow's milk (CMI) or milk replacers containing cows m ilk and texturised soybean protein (CSP). Six kids were randomly assig ned to each diet. Goat's milk was replaced gradually by the experiment al diets from the 8th day (two days of transition) which were given un til the 56th day (200g/kg/LW per day). The AD of dry matter, ether ext ract, organic matter, nitrogen-free extract, ash, calcium, and phospho rus was almost the same (P>0,05) in the GMI and CMI diets, but higher (P<0,05) than in CSP diet. The AD of N and its retention were higher ( P<0,05) in the GMI and less in the CSP diet, while CMI diet came in be tween.