Studies on milk yield and composition of the West African dwarf goat in Nigeria.

Six adult West African dwarf does, about 2 1/2 years old and weighing from 24 to 29 kg, were kept for 18 weeks/lactation, and for 2 lactation periods in all. During these periods the does were hand-milked twice daily and the daily samples were bulked for each animal for subsequent analysis. Milk yields for the period were low. Colostrum was characterized by a high content of total solids of 19-2%, fat 8-3%, total protein 5-1% and a gross energy of 517 kJ/100 g milk, but a low lactose content of 4-9%. The composition tended to approach that of mature goat milk between the second and third d after parturition. The mature goat's milk contained higher mean percentages of fat (6-9) and lactose (6-3) than any temperate breeds of goats and indigenous dairy cattle, but their protein (3-9%) and total ash (0-8%) contents were comparable with any temperate breeds of goats. The percentage protein, lactose, fat and total solids declined slightly with advance in lactation and there was a steady fall in milk yield which was statistically significant (P less than 0-01).