NUTRITIONAL-VALUE OF PEARL-MILLET FOR LACTATING AND GROWING GOATS

Studies were conducted to assess nutritional value of pearl millet gra in (Pennisetum glaucum [L] R. Br.) for lactating and growing goats. Th ree complete diets containing either 40% corn, 40% pearl millet, or 40 % corn and pearl millet mixed 1:1 (wt/wt) were balanced to contain 16% crude protein and 2.24 Mcal DE/kg on an air-dry basis. Forty-five doe s were blocked by kidding date and randomly assigned to diets for a 7- wk investigation. Feed intake and milk production were unaffected (P > .25) by treatment, and they averaged 2.86 and 2.47 kg daily, respecti vely. Thirty-three growing goats were blocked by sex and fed the same diets for 15 wk. Daily growth rate and feed to gain ratio were depress ed (P < .05) by 25.4 and 19.0%, respectively, when corn was completely replaced with pearl millet. Digestion coefficients for DM, GE, CP, an d NDF were reduced by over 10 percentage units with partial or complet e replacement of corn by pearl millet. Ruminal acetate and ratio of ac etate to propionate increased (P < .05) but butyrate, propionate, and ammonia were depressed (P < .05) with the pearl millet diets. Growing goats consumed 43 meals daily. They consumed 26.9, 32.6, 27.4, and 13. 1% of their ration during the morning (0600 to 1200), afternoon (1200 to 1800), evening (1800 to 2400), and night (2400 to 0600), respective ly. Pearl millet is a useful energy feed for mature, but not for growi ng, goats.