Milk yield and composition of the beetal breed and their crosses with Jamunapari, Barbari and Black Bengal breeds of goat

A series of digestibility trials to determine feed conversion efficiency and milk production were based on 32 Beetal, 16 Beetal×Jamunapari, 31 Beetal×Barbari and 19 Beetal×Black Bengal goats in early, middle and late lactation at Raja Balwant Singh College, Agra, India. All animals were maintained under similar management. Daily milk yield and composition were recorded. Milk productionwas highest in the Beetal (1.20±0.05 kg) and lowest (0.75±0.07 kg) in Beetal×Black Bengal, while Beetal×Jamunapari (1.01±0.07 kg) and Beetal×Barbari (1.17±0.05 kg) were intermediate. The breed, stage of lactation, season of kidding and parity significantly affected both the milk yield and composition. Fat and total solids increased with advancing stage of lactation, however lactose had a reverse trend. The protein content of milk remained unchanged. There was no significant effect of season on milk yield, FCM (4%) and major milk constituents except fat content was significantly higher in the winter season. © 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.