Effects of feeding monensin sodium to lactating goats: milk composition and ruminal volatile fatty acids.

When diets containing 33 and 18 ppm monensin sodium were fed for ad libitum intake to dairy goats, milk fat content was reduced by 15 and 5%. Milk protein content was increased 10% when 33 ppm sodium monensin was fed with diet at restricted intake. Milk yield was not affected. Both ad libitum and restricted consumption of diet containing 33 ppm monensin sodium reduced ratios of ruminal acetate:propionate. These resulted from increased propionate concentration with ad libitum consumption and from reduced acetate with restricted feeding. Diets containing 18 ppm monensin sodium resulted in slightly higher concentrations of both propionate and acetate. Monensin sodium did not reduce feed intake significantly.