Rumen Parameters, Nutrients Digestibility and Milk Production of Lactating Boer Goats Fed Diets Containing Clay...

<b>Background and Objective:</b> The inclusion of clay minerals in dairy nutrition is getting attention owing to their proven beneficial effects. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of three different clay minerals (bentonite, zeolite and humic acid) on the performance of lactating Boer goats. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Twenty lactating Boer goats (having an average body weight ~42.7 kg) were divided into four groups (5 animals each) by using a completely randomized design (CRD). Each group was fed with one of four dietary treatments: Control group with basal ration R1: Consisting of concentrate feed mixture (CFM) and clover hay (50:50%, C:R) on a dry matter (DM) basis, R2: Basal ration plus 1% bentonite, R3: Basal ration plus 1.25% zeolite and R4: Basal ration plus 0.5% humic acid. <b>Results:</b> The results revealed that bentonite and humic acid increased (p<0.05) the nutrient digestibility and nutritive values compared to zeolite and control groups. Ruminal ammonia and total volatile fatty acids (TVFAs) contents increased (p<0.05) with supplementation of bentonite. No effect of clays supplementation was observed on plasma total protein, urea and creatinine, however, it increased (p<0.05) the albumin concentration and albumin/globulin ratios compared to the control while decreasing the plasma globulin contents. Supplementation of humic acid increased (p<0.05) the AST concentrations. Bentonite supplementation recorded the highest milk yield (p<0.05) and composition, while the zeolite group had the lowest values. <b>Conclusion:</b> The present study indicated that the inclusion of clay minerals particularly bentonite (at 1%) can positively affect the performance of lactating Boer goats.