Evaluation of the palatability various types of green fodder to support the provision of high quality green feed for dairy goats

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of green fodder types on palatability of dairy goats, in order to obtain high-quality alternative forage. This study employed a completely randomised design, comprising four treatments of green fodder types: soybean (Glycine max), mung bean (Vigna radiata), maize (Zea mays), and rice (Oryza sativa), with four replications. Each Etawa Crossbred Goat (ECG) was used as a replicate. Significant differences were further analysed using Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMRT). The results showed that the type of green fodder significantly influenced the palatability levels produced. The palatability test results indicated that the grasping time for all types of green fodder was not significantly different. The highest consumption rate per minute was observed in green fodder made from mung beans at 82.50 g/minute/goat, followed by maize 66.25 g/minute/goat, then rice and soybeans. The fastest consumption time to finish 100 g of green fodder was for mung bean 2.19 minutes/head and maize 2.20 minutes/head. From this study, it can be concluded that ECG will consume all four types of green fodder. However, mung bean and maize have the highest palatability and have the potential to be used as high-quality green fodder for dairy goats.