PSVI-9 - Effect of Supplementing Confined Goats with Cucumis Melo During the Peripartum Period

Abstract: The aim was to evaluate the effect of Cucumis melo supplementation on the quality and production of colostrum, milk, as well as live weight dynamics in both mothers and kids during the peripartum period. Pregnant multiparous adult goats (n=15) were divided into two experimental groups: 1) GS; n=8; supplemented with 300 g of dehydrated C. melo plus 100 g of concentrate); 2) GC; n=7; supplemented with 100 g of concentrate but without C melo). Data were analyzed by an ANOVA in a completely randomized design with the SAS statistical package (Evenston, ILL, USA, 2000) and differences were considered as significant at p≤ 0.05. Live weight did not differ between groups P=0.5, while colostrum fat content was greater in the GS compared with the GC (9.6 ± 1.1 vs 6.2 ± 0.8; P˂0.02). In milk production, no difference was observed between groups (2.2 ± 0.1 kg/day; P=0.8), however, on day 21 postpartum, an increase of 100 g/day was recorded for GS, compared with GC. Nutritional supplementation based on C. melo in goats during peripartum improves colostrum quality and increases milk production, under the conditions in which the experimental work was developed and could be adopted by goat breeders as an alternative so that their goats have a higher performance.