Milk yield and composition from ewes fed raw soybeans and their lambs’ performance

• Published in: Animal feed science and technology 2018-04, Vol.238, p.1-8
• Main Authors: Ferreira, Evandro M., Ferraz, Marcos V.C., Polizel, Daniel M., Urano, Fumi S., Susin, Ivanete, Gentil, Renato S., Biehl, Marcos V., Biava, Janaina S., Pires, Alexandre V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: CLA; Fatty acid; Lipids; Nutrition; Santa Ines; Sheep
• ISSN: 0377-8401; 1873-2216
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2018.01.011

•Adding raw soybeans in the diet increased milk yield, according to a quadratic trend.•Short and medium-chain fatty acids decreased linearly with raw soybeans supply.•CLAs (cis-9 trans-11 and trans-10 cis-12) increased linearly with raw soybeans supply.•Adding raw soybeans in the diet decreased the atherogenicity index of milk fat.•The raw soybeans made milk fat healthier for human consumption. This trial aimed to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of raw soybeans on milk yield, composition, and fatty acid profile in ewes, and their lambs’ performance. Fifty-six Santa Ines ewes (63.9 ± 0.76 kg BW) were assigned to a randomized complete block design to receive one of the four diets containing 0 (CONT), 70, 140 or 210 g/kg DM of raw soybeans. Isonitrogenous diets (150 g/kg DM of CP) were composed of 400 g/kg DM of in natura sugarcane bagasse as roughage source and 600 g/kg DM of concentrate. The experiment lasted from 14 to 56 days of lactation. Once a week the ewes were separated from their lambs and milked mechanically. DMI (1.3, 1.3, 1.5 and 1.2 kg/day) and milk yield (1.0, 1.1, 1.1 and 1.0 kg/day) presented a quadratic effect (P