EFFECTS OF SUPPLEMENTATION ON INTAKE, GROWTH-RATE, AND FLEECE PRODUCTION BY FEMALE ANGORA KID GOATS GRAZING RANGELAND

Ninety-eight and 88 female Angora kid goats (6 mo of age) were grazed/ browsed on Edwards Plateau rangeland in 92- and 88-d trials in 1989 an d 1990, respectively. The goats were either not supplemented (negative control, NC) or fed isoenergetic amounts of corn (C), a corn/cottonse ed meal/molasses mixture (C/CSM), or a corn/cottonseed meal/fish meal/ molasses mixture (C/CSM/FM). The C/CSM and C/CSM/FM supplements provid ed equal CP but different amounts of ruminally undegraded protein (UDP ). The goats were allowed to graze/browse in a common pasture and were separated into treatment groups three times each week for feeding. In takes of supplement and forage were measured using a dual-marker techn ique. Forage intake was not increased with supplemental feeding ( P = .21), but tended ( P = .08) to be greater with high-protein supplement s than with C. Total digestible DMI was greater (P < .01) for suppleme nted goats and was not affected by supplement type. Supplemental feedi ng increased BW gain (P < .01) and clean fleece weight (CFW; P < . 0 1 ). High-protein supplements increased BW gain (P < .01), CFW (P = .07) , fiber diameter (FD; P < .01), and staple length (P < .01) compared w ith C. Greater amounts of UDP (C/CSM/FM) did not increase BW gain (P = .99) but tended to increase CFW (P = .12) and FD (P = .15). Supplemen tal feeding increased total digestible DMI by partial substitution (co rn) for forage or addition (high-protein supplements) to forage, and b oth energy and protein increased BW gain and CFW and influenced mohair traits.