Cost-of-supplement calculator ready for testing

(Pictured: some of the goats during the feeding experiments. Young entire male Rangeland goats, 16 to 20kg liveweight were utilised in the feeding experiments.)

Researchers are seeking Rangeland goat producers to pilot test a simple cost-of-supplement calculator designed for the goat industry and funded by Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA).

The calculator has been developed as part of a research and development (R&D) project to determine the responses of Rangeland goats to feed supplementation, undertaken by The University of Queensland.

Project leader Dr Simon Quigley said the project team was looking for feedback from interested Rangeland goat producers on the cost-of-supplement calculator’s ease of use and presentation of outputs.

“The R&D project has examined liveweight gain response relationships to a range of supplements which may be used by goat producers to increase live-weight gain of young entire male Rangeland goats,” Dr Quigley said.

“The simple cost-of-supplement calculator has now been developed which incorporates these relationships to assist producers make supplementation decisions.”

The role of supplementation

Supplementation involves the provision of small quantities of a specific nutrient or nutrients to meet the requirements of an animal to achieve a target level of productivity.

Dr Quigley said at the inception of the project, a key issue facing producers was what cost-effective and feasible nutritional strategies would convert light weight, young Rangeland bucks to heavier goats with a commercial value.

“The project reviewed the nutritional requirements of Rangeland goats and completed three feeding and liveweight gain experiments,” Dr Quigley said.

How R&D was undertaken

The feeding experiments used young entire male Rangeland goats, 16 to 20kg liveweight, sourced from southwest Queensland.

During the experiments the goats were maintained in individual pens with intake and liveweight gain measured over a 10-week period.

The first experiment determined the response of young bucks to increasing amounts of a protein meal, lucerne chaff, urea or whole cottonseed.

The second experiment determined the response of young bucks to increasing amounts of rolled-wheat, rolled-sorghum or lucerne pellets.

The third experiment determined the response of young bucks to increasing amounts of a commercial pellet.

The final experiment determined the optimum protein content of a high energy ration fed to young bucks.

R&D findings

In all experiments, unsupplemented goats were fed Mitchell grass hay (4% crude protein, 40% digestibility) on which they essentially maintained liveweight.

Goats consuming the highest amounts of the protein supplements in Experiment 1 gained approximately 50 to 60 g/day above the unsupplemented goats.

Goats consuming the highest amounts of the sorghum and wheat supplements in Experiment 2 gained approximately 70 to 90 g/day above the unsupplemented goats.

Goats consuming the highest amount of the commercial pellet and the high energy ration in Experiment 3 gained between 140 and 170 g/day above the unsupplemented goats.

At the end of all experiments the young bucks were fed a commercially available pellet ad libitum in group pens with average liveweight gain of 150 to 200 g/day measured.

Large variations in the individual liveweight gain responses of the young bucks to the various supplements was evident across all experiments.

Equations describing the response of liveweight gain to supplement intake generated in the feeding experiments were used to develop the cost-of-supplement calculator to assist producers determine the relative cost of various supplements to achieve a target liveweight or liveweight gain for young entire male Rangeland goats.

Rangeland goat producers interested in testing the cost-of-supplement calculator can contact Dr Quigley.