In the Uk there is a growing interest in the rearing of goats as an integral enterprise of the farming system. If feed costs are to be kept to a minimum, maximum utilization of cereal residues is imperative. Alkali treatment is a cheap and effective method of improving intake of straw and animal performance in cattle and sheep but very little is known about its value for lactating goats. The objective of the present study was to compare barley straw, alkali-treated straw (TS) and grass hay as forages for goats in mid lactation.

Twenty-two multi-parous British Saanen goats in their sixth month of lactation were allocated on liveweight basis to each of the three forages which were individually fed ad libitum through Calan gates. The Panda barley straw was treated in a solution containing 15g sodium hydroxide and 7g urea per litre, using the dip method for whole bales. The grass hay was chopped. Each goat was offered 350g dairy concentrate at both morning and afternoon milkings (700g concentrate/day). Forage intake and milk yield were recorded daily. Milk samples were taken weekly at two successive milkings and the goats were weighed twice weekly during the 4 weeks of data collection after 4 weeks of adaptation.