Influence of different substitutions of ground-to-whole sorghum grain in high-concentrate diets on weight gain, Longissimus dorsi area and subcutaneous fat of growing goats

Abstract

The effect of different proportions of ground-to-whole sorghum grain on weight gain, Longissimus dorsi area (LDA) and subcutaneous fat (SF) was evaluated in 20 crossbred (75% Alpine and 25% Spanish) female kid goats, 75 d of age (12.9 ± 1.8 kg BW [body weight]) fed a diet (14% CP [crude protein], 2.57 Mcal/kg ME [metabolizable energy]) in which whole sorghum grain (WSG) substituted for 0%, 25% and 50% of ground sorghum grain for treatments T1 (n = 7), T2 (n = 7) and T3 (n = 6), respectively. At the end of the 122-d feeding trial, goats were evaluated using ultrasound for LDA and SF. There were no differences (P > .05) among treatments in average daily gain (183, 183 and 190 g/d) and LDA (14.02, 13.70 and 14.70 cm2). SF decreased (linear effect; P = .05) with an increase in dietary WSG. In conclusion, feedlot goats exhibited adequate growth performance using diets with up to 50% WSG, without negative effect on LDA, although SF decreased with WSG increase.