Nguyen Thi Hong Nhan et al., 1997. Livest. Res. Rural Dev. 9 (2), article #20

The study was conducted with lactating goats (Bach Thao breed) to examine the feasibility of: (1) improving the utilization of leaves from the Jackfruit tree (Artocarpus heterophyllus); and (2) evaluating the use of sugar cane juice as an energy source to balance the protein in the leaves. Milking was once daily at 7.00 am, the kids being separated from their mothers from 12.00 am until 06.30 am the next day. The control diet consisted of ad libitum jackfruit leaves together with a multi-nutritional block (10% urea). The experimental diet was the same as the control plus a supplement of sugar cane juice of 1.5 kg/day. The first two weeks of the experiment were for adaptation to a standard diet (the control diet plus 500 g/day rice bran).The data obtained in the 3rd week on the standard diet were used as covariate to correct the milk yields during the experimental period in weeks 5-8. The goats supplemented with sugar cane juice had a higher (P=0.063) average milk production (0.43 kg/day) in comparison with the controls (0.32 kg/day). Intake of fresh Jackfruit leaves was lower with cane juice supplement than on the control diet ( P = 0.008). There was no effect of the sugar cane juice on rumen pH, ammonia or protozoal numbers. It is concluded that a diet of sugar cane juice and leaves from the jackfruit tree can be recommended as a diet for lactating goats