Effects of rumen protected choline supplementation in periparturient dairy goats

The aims of this study were to establish the effects of rumen-protected choline (RPC) supplementation on milk yield and composition and main plasma variables in periparturient dairy goats. Twenty-four Saanen multiparous goats were assigned to two experimental groups: Control, no RPC supplementation and RPC group, supplemented at 4 g of choline chloride. Milk production and fat-corrected milk (FCM) were increased (P< 0.05) in treated group compared to control. RPC supplementation tended to affected positively NEFA, while in both pre and post-partum glucose, cholesterol and β-hydroxybutyrate were not significantly affected. Supplementation of rumen-protected choline would therefore seem to be essential for optimizing milk production. However, the exact mechanisms of these findings as well as the choline requirement in dairy goats are not known with certainty, indicating that further studies under different feeding conditions are needed.