Use of bean meal (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in goat rations for meat production

Bean meal (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) may be a viable alternative in ruminant feeding, mainly as a source of protein due to its high crude protein content. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of substitution of cottonseed cake (Gossypium hirsutum) with different levels of bean meal in goat feedlot rations on dry matter intake, digestibility, feeding behavior, performance, carcass characteristics, and hematological parameters. Twenty castrated male Repartida goats with an average initial weight of 14.7 ± 2.0 kg were allocated in a randomized block design with four treatments. The initial body weight was used to define the blocks. The treatments were different substitution levels of cottonseed cake by bean meal (0, 27.75, 64.63, and 100%) in the concentrate on a dry matter basis. The diets had a roughage:concentrate ratio of 50:50. Chopped elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) was used as roughage, while the concentrate was composed of ground corn, mineral mix, and different levels of bean meal and cottonseed cake. There were no treatment effects on dry matter intake, feed conversion, slaughter weight, carcass weight and yield, non-carcass component yield, and hematological parameters (P > 0.05). However, for both dry matter digestibility (P = 0.001) and daily weight gain (P < 0.001), there was a negative quadratic relationship between cottonseed cake and bean meal content in the diet. Bean meal can be used in goat diets to replace cottonseed cake as the only source of protein concentrate, since it did not affect the main performance characteristics.