Milk Production in Goats on Veld Hay Supplemented with Selected Legume Forages

Alternative affordable sources of feed such as forage legumes that provide protein, vitamins and mineral elements, which are lacking in mature natural grassland pastures, especially during the dry season (Baloyi et al. 2008), can be an option. The high protein content of these legumes suggests that they have high potential for use as protein supplements in goat feeding. However, there is need for an in-depth study of the utilization of different legume forages for milk production in goats. Gusha et al. (2014) reported that supplementing with legume hays could improve poor quality roughage intake in goats. Snyman (2010) observed lower kid mortality in supplemented does compared to those not supplemented during lactation. Therefore, this research was designed to investigate the effects of supplementing Desmodium uncunatum, Mucuna pruriens and Vigna unguiculata forage legumes to low quality veld hay on milk production in indigenous goats