Milk Composition, Production, and Reproduction Performance of Local and Exotic Dairy Goats in Khartoum State, Sudan

Introduction: Sudan is known as home to a diverse range of goat breeds, among which the Nubian goat holds significant importance as a dairy producer. Recently, the country imported several exotic dairy goat breeds. The present study aimed to describe the production and reproduction performance of Nubian, Damascus, Mazain, and Alpine goats kept in Khartoum State, Sudan. In addition, to assess solids not fat (SNF), fat, protein, casein, whey proteins, and lactose in the milk of these breeds. Materials and methods: Information about the production performance of goat farms found in Khartoum State was obtained through personal interviews with owners and available records. A total of 145 milk samples were collected from the investigated goat breeds and analyzed for their content. The milk SNF, fat, protein, lactose, casein, and whey proteins were determined in the collected samples. Results: Significant differences among exotic breeds for birth weight of kids, body weight of dams, milk yield, and lactation length were indicated. The fat content was significantly different among goat breeds. The lower fat content of the milk was recorded in Alpine compared to other goats. The protein contents indicated 3.58 ± 0.08%, 3.52 ± 0.12%, 3.62 ± 0.09%, and 3.33 ± 0.07% in the Nubian, Damascus, Mazain, and Alpine goat breeds, respectively. The casein and whey protein content were high in the milk of the Mazain goat, whereby some higher values of casein and whey protein were obtained during the 5-6 months of lactation in the Mazain goat compared to other goats. The lactose content of milk indicated higher values during the first two months of lactation in all goats. The SNF content of milk showed higher values in Damascus and Mazain compared to Alpine goats, which showed significant differences during the progress of lactation in all goats. Conclusion: It is concluded that variations were found regarding the chemical composition of milk and performance in different breeds of goats in Khartoum State, Sudan.