Growth of yearling meat goat doelings with changing plane of nutrition

Abstract Yearling meat goat doelings, 25 Boer×Spanish (BS) and 25 Spanish (S) (27 and 21 kg initial BW, respectively; S.E.=0.6), were used in a 16-week experiment (four 28-day periods) to determine effects on growth of length of nutrient restriction and level of concentrate supplementation during realimentation. Doelings consumed prairie hay (6.2% CP, 70% NDF and 9.1% ADL) ad libitum and received daily supplementation with 0.75% BW of concentrate (30% CP; C treatment), sequential 28-day periods of no supplementation and daily supplementation with 1.50 or 0.75% of concentrate (H-28 and L-28, respectively) or 56 days without supplementation followed by supplementation for 56 days with 1.50 or 0.75% of concentrate (H-56 and L-56, respectively). Ruminal ammonia N concentration was below 6 mg/dl when concentrate was not supplemented. ADG was similar among dietary treatments and between genotypes in period 1. Dietary treatment and genotype interacted ( P P P P