Palm kernel cake in high-concentrate diets for feedlot goat kids: nutrient intake, digestibility, feeding behavior, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, and performance

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production 2021-11, Vol.53 (5), p.454-454, Article 454
• Main Authors: de Carvalho Rodrigues, Thomaz Cyro Guimarães, Santos, Stefanie Alvarenga, Cirne, Luis Gabriel Alves, dos Santos Pina, Douglas, Alba, Henry Daniel Ruiz, de Araújo, Maria Leonor Garcia Melo Lopes, Silva, Willian Pereira, de Oliveira Nascimento, Camila, Rodrigues, Carlindo Santos, Tosto, Manuela Silva Libânio, de Carvalho, Gleidson Giordano Pinto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Albumins; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Blood; Body weight; Body weight gain; Carbohydrates; Cholesterol; Diet; Digestibility; Dry matter; Enzymatic activity; Enzyme activity; Feed conversion; Feed efficiency; Feeding; Feeding behavior; Feedlots; Food intake; Globulins; Goats; Kernels; Life Sciences; Metabolites; Nitrogen; Nitrogen balance; Nutrient balance; Nutrients; Regular Articles; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Zoology; γ-Glutamyltransferase
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-021-02893-y

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of including palm kernel cake (PKC) in high-concentrate diets for feedlot goat kids on nutrient intake, digestibility, feeding behavior, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, and performance. Thirty-two castrated crossbred Boer × mixed breed goat kids with an average age of 4 months and an initial body weight of 19.65 ± 3.00 kg were distributed in a completely randomized design. The diets included one of four levels (0, 12, 24, and 36%) of PKC on a total dry matter basis. The PKC inclusion in the diets promoted quadratic effects in the nutrient intakes ( P  ≤ 0.05). The digestibility of ether extract increased ( P  = 0.010), whereas the digestibility of non-fibrous carbohydrates decreased ( P  = 0.017) with the inclusion of PKC. Palm kernel cake inclusion promoted a quadratic effect on the time spent per episode feeding and decreased the times spent idling and ruminated bolus per day ( P  ≤ 0.05). The ingested and retained nitrogen decreased with the inclusion of PKC ( P  ≤ 0.05). The inclusion of PKC in the diets had quadratic effects in the cholesterol concentrations, albumin (A), globulin (G), A:G ratio, and gamma-glutamyltransferase enzyme activity ( P  ≤ 0.05). The PKC inclusion promoted a quadratic increase in total weight gain ( P  = 0.026), with the highest value achieved at the inclusion level of 11.68%. The inclusion of up to 12% PKC in high-concentrate diets increases the intake and growth performance without compromising the digestibility of nutrients and feed efficiency.