In comparison of barley and molassed sugar beet feed (SBF), as the principal energy sources in the concentrates, for milk production by dairy cows, only small differences have been established with diets containing conventional proportions of forage and concentrates. No similar comparison using dairy goats appear to have been made and the purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of these two energy sources on hay intake and milk production by British Saanen goats.

Twenty-nine multiparous Saanen goats were allocated to one of two concentrate types one month before kidding. The concentrates were based on barley (B) (690 kg rolled barley, 310 kg soyabean meal/tonne) or molassed SBF (700 kg SBF, 300 kg soyabean meal/tonne) and were pelleted. They were offered at 0.45 kg/day for 4 weeks before kidding, increasing to 1 kg/day by day 15 after kidding. Chopped lucerne hay was offered through Calan gates at 1.5 kg/day before kidding and ad libitum thereafter. The goats consuming the SBF concentrates were given a high-phosphorus mineral supplement. Feed was offered twice dally and refusals were taken once dally. The goats were milked twice daily and samples were taken on two consecutive milkings weekly. Live weight was measured twice weekly.