Growth performance and body composition of goat kids fed milk replacers with increasing levels of linoleic acid.

Twenty, 1-2-day-old goat kids were used in a feeding trial to investigate the effect of linoleic acid (LA) (C18:2n-6) intake on weight gain and carcass composition. Eight animals were selected randomly and killed at the start of the trial to determine initial body composition. The other animals were assigned to the three dietary treatments and were fed milk replacers with varying LA concentrations (low: 5.5%; medium: 11.2% and high: 17.1% LA of total fatty acids) for 5 weeks. There was no systematic effect of LA intake on body composition. The average retentions of fat, protein, ash and energy were 46.3%, 61.2%, 42.2% and 37.4% respectively. Increased intakes of LA caused a significant increase in LA content of the carcass and of the weight gain, whereas there was a simultaneous decrease in fatty acids with 16 carbon atoms or less. The incorporation of LA into carcass was directly related to intake, but the percentage retention of LA remained constant. The data indicate that in goat kids the intake of extra LA raises the amount of LA in carcass but does not affect the total fat content.