Variability of metabolic markers in the blood of dairy goats with different dynamics of milk yield in the first half of lactation

Abstract

Relevance. The aim of the study was to study the biochemical profile of blood in the first three months after lambing in first-year goats with different dynamics of milk yield in the first half of lactation.Methods. The work was carried out on a farm with intensive technology for keeping goats of the Zaanen breed (Leningrad region). Blood sampling was carried out in the spring and summer period: on the 20th– 30th day, 50–60 days and 80–90 days after lambing. The concentration of total protein, albumin, urea, creatinine, glucose, total cholesterol, and triglycerides was determined in the blood serum. To analyze the biochemical profile of the blood at the end of the 4th month of lactation, the goats were divided into two groups. Group I (n = 9) included animals that reached maximum milk yield in the 2nd month of lactation, group II (n = 8) included individuals with peak milk yield in the 3rd month of lactation. Milk yield for the first three months after lambing did not differ between the groups.Results. At the 4th month of lactation, milk yield was 22.3% higher in group II (pAdjusted < 0.05). Two of the seven biochemical blood parameters showed a difference: in group I, the blood glucose concentration on the 50–60 days after lambing was 7.7% lower (pAdjusted < 0.05), and the serum creatinine content on the 80–90 days was 10.1% higher (pAdjusted < 0.01) compared with group II. These differences may be due to the peculiarities of adaptation to metabolic load in first-year goats with different time periods from lambing to reaching maximum milk yield.