Does a whole millet grain-based diet replace whole corn grain in non-forage diets for goat kids?

Authors

Francisca Leila Araujo Dos Santos, Daniel Louçana da Costa Araújo, Luana Michele Pereira Gonçalves, Maria Clara Silva Soares, Fabiano Alves Lopes, Dayane Francisca Higino Miranda, Arnaud Azevêdo Alves, Henrique Nunes Parente, Marcos Jacome de Araújo, Francisco Naysson de Sousa Santos, Rafael Silvio Bonilha Pinheiro, Michelle de Oliveira Maia Parente

Published in

Tropical animal health and production. Volume 58. Issue 6. Jun 22, 2026. Epub Jun 22, 2026.

Abstract

Twenty-one Anglo-Nubian goat kids (21.6 ± 2.9 kg) were assigned to a completely randomized design to evaluate the effects of different whole grain-based diets on performance, ingestive behavior, physiological parameters, and carcass characteristics. The experimental diets consisted of a control diet (CON), containing 10% hay and 90% concentrate, and two non-forage diets: a whole corn grain-based diet (WC) and a whole millet grain-based diet (WM), both composed of 20% commercial pellet and 80% the respective whole grain. The non-forage diets reduced dry matter intake (P = 0.002); however, crude protein intake was reduced only in the WC diet (P = 0.001). The CON diet increased fiber intake (P < 0.001) and resulted in the longest rumination time (P = 0.026), whereas the WM diet showed the highest ether extract (EE) intake (P < 0.001). The WC diet altered the feed-sorting behavior of the goat kids and consequently showed the highest DM digestibility (P = 0.042). The WC diet showed higher EE digestibility than the CON diet (P = 0.025), whereas EE digestibility in the WM diet did not differ from that in the other diets. However, the WC diet reduced average daily gain (P = 0.006), and slaughter weight (P = 0.025), without affecting carcass weight, carcass yield, or leg tissue composition (P > 0.05). Physiological parameters were not influenced by diet (P > 0.05). Overall, WM can replace WC in non-forage diets, maintaining satisfactory performance, carcass characteristics, and leg tissue composition in goat kids.

PMID:
42329522
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Jun 2026.

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