465 - Legume-grass Pastures Enhanced the Performance of Kiko Does

Inadequate and poor-quality pastures dominated with perennial grasses are one of the major reasons for poor performance of goats in the Southeastern United States. Legume addition to grass pastures may improve performance of goats. However, such information is not documented well. The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of legume addition to pastures on goat performance. The study site consisted of 10 plots (average plot size: 0.44 ha). Five plots were sown to southern peas (Vigna unguiculata)-browntop millet (Urochloa ramosa) 50:50 mix) and remaining plots to sole browntop millet. Forage biomass samples were collected, dried, and weighed for dry matter (DM). Nineteen Kiko does (initial age: 15-16 months; live weight (LWt): 34 ± 1.4 kg) were divided into two groups: 10 to legume-grass plots and nine to grass-only plots; allocation of does to either group was based on their initial LWt, FAMACHA (5-color card) score (1–5: 1–2 – not anemic, 4–5 anemic), and body condition score (BCS: 1–5, 1 extremely lean, 5 obese) to create uniform groups. Does were rotationally stocked based on available forages in their respective plots for 87 days starting mid-August 2020. Does’ LWt, FAMACHA score, and BCS were collected just before they were deployed to research plots, in every 14 days during the study, and at the end. Forage dry-matter data and animal-performance data were analyzed using Mixed and GLM procedures, respectively, in SAS 9.4. Legume-grass and grass-only plots yielded similar DM. Does in legume-grass group gained more weight (37.4 ± 0.50 kg vs. 35.7 ± 0.53 kg; P = 0.0209) and better FAMACHA score (2.1 ± 0.06 vs. 2.4 ± 0.07; P = 0.0044) and BCS (2.6 ± 0.02 vs. 2.5 ± 0.03; P = 0.0008) versus grass group. Results showed that legume-grass-mixed pastures promote the performance of growing does than sole-grass pastures.