Systèmes caprins herbagers : Ajuster période de reproduction et stratégie de valorisation de l’herbe pour maintenir les performances laitières et accroitre l’autonomie

Grassland goat systems: Adjusting breeding periods and grass use strategies to maintain milk production and increase self-sufficiency

In context of a growing demand for goat milk products, the use of grass could be a solution for improving food self-sufficiency while facilitating the agroecological transition of goat farms. Three systems, based on three herds of 55 goats differing in their kidding periods and their strategies for utilizing multi-species pastures (MSP), were designed: an off-season indoor system (DB), an off-season grazing system (DP), and a seasonal grazing system (SP). Their MSP were utilized through grazing and/or barn-dried hay. No pesticides or nitrogen fertilizers were applied to the 7 ha of MSP and 3 ha of mixed crops in the DB system; nor to the 8 ha of MSP and 2 ha of mixed crops in the DP and SP systems. The feed intake and milk production of each herd were measured, and the botanical composition, biochemical values, and nutritional content of the MSP were calculated from 2021 to 2023.Over the three-year period and across the three systems, the PDI ranged from 50 to 52 g/kg DM for hay and from 47 to 48 g/kg DM for grazed grass, while the UFL ranged from 0.93 to 0.86 g/kg DM for hay and from 0.81 to 0.82 g/kg DM for grazed grass. The harvested and grazed forages were therefore balanced, allowing for high forage intake and good feed self-sufficiency (75%, with an average of 70 to 72% forage in the ration over the period). The DB, DP, and SP systems consumed an average of 471, 442, and 417 g of concentrate per liter to produce 796, 781, and 869 liters per goat per year, respectively. Grass-fed dairy goat systems can combine maintaining their production levels with a good level of feed self-sufficiency thanks to balanced forages from SMP, particularly in seasonal management systems that allow for grazing.