Sheep and goats
More milk and a more favourable fatty acid profile in dairy ewes
In dairy ewes, olive cake raised monounsaturated fatty acids in milk and improved lipid indices, with milk yield maintained or higher.
What the research shows
- Higher milk yield (772 vs 649 g/day)60 Comisana ewes, 20% of the concentrate (Chiofalo et al. 2004)
- More monounsaturated and fewer saturated fatty acids; lower atherogenic and thrombogenic indicesChiofalo et al. 2004
- Milk yield and composition maintained; more oleic acid in milk and cheese9 ewes, 10% and 25% dry olive cake (Vera et al. 2013)
Recommended inclusion
Lactating ewes and goats
10–15%
Breeding ewes and does
10–15%
Fattening lambs and kids
10–15%
Dry ewes and goats
5–10%
0%15%
Solid bar: tested in a published trial. Hatched bar: practical programme.
In practice
- Ask for the certificate of analysis for each lot and formulate with its values.
- Introduce gradually over 7–14 days.
- Store dry, covered and cool; use the oldest stock first.
- Compare with a group on your usual diet to document your own results.
References
- Chiofalo B. et al. (2004). Administration of olive cake for ewe feeding: effect on milk yield and composition. Small Ruminant Research 55:169–176. iris.unime.it/handle/11570/1892907
- Vera R. et al. (2013). Feeding olive cake to ewes improves fatty acid profile of milk and cheese. Animal Feed Science and Technology 184. doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2013.05.016