Effect of Soybean Milk as a Milk Substitute with or without Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) Tonic on Growth Performance of Sangamneri Goat Kids
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: A feeding study evaluated soybean milk as a partial or complete substitute for goat milk, with or without alfalfa (Medicago sativa) tonic, in Sangamneri goat kids. Twenty-five kids were allocated to five treatments (five per group): T0, goat milk alone; T1, 50% goat milk and 50% soybean milk; T2, the same blend with alfalfa tonic; T3, soybean milk alone; and T4, soybean milk with alfalfa tonic. The study comprised a 15-day transition period followed by 75 days of experimental feeding. Over the 75-day feeding period, mean milk intake ranged from 36.075 L (T3) to 40.875 L (T0). Final mean live weights were 9.306, 8.898, 9.121, 6.590, and 7.660 kg for T0 through T4, respectively. The corresponding mean daily live-weight gains, calculated from treatment-level gains, were 98.37, 92.83, 95.77, 62.19, and 76.69 g/day. Numerically, the combination of 50% goat milk and 50% soybean milk with alfalfa tonic was associated with growth values near those of the whole-goat-milk group, whereas the soybean-milk-only treatment had the lowest mean gain. These descriptive findings do not establish treatment equivalence or a causal effect of the tonic because individual-animal statistical outputs, tonic dosing details, and complete nutrient-intake data were unavailable.
Institution: Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth
Language: English
Subfield: Agronomy and Crop Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7224996502