Effect of concentrate supplementation on milk yield of lactating Dromedary Camels in Red Sea State, Sudan

Adam, Salma; Hamouda, Maha; Hassabo, Ali; Mohammed Ali, Safa Abusara

doi:10.21608/ijesr.2025.457001

Effect of concentrate supplementation on milk yield of lactating Dromedary Camels in Red Sea State, Sudan

Document Type : Original scientific articles

Authors

¹ Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agricultural Technology and Fish Science, Alneelain University, Sudan

² animal production,faculty of Agricultural and fish science, Khartoum,Sudan

10.21608/ijesr.2025.457001

Abstract

Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of concentrate supplementation on the milk yield of grazing lactating camels. A total of sixty healthy dromedary camels, in early lactation, were randomly selected from semi-intensive farming systems across three locations: Sinkat, Sawakin, and Port Sudan (twenty camels per location). A concentrate diet containing 16% crude protein (CP) and 12.6 MJ/kg of metabolizable energy was formulated and offered to the animals in the evening. The camels were milked twice daily (morning and evening), and individual milk yields were recorded. Paired sample t-tests were used to compare milk yield before and after supplementation, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to assess differences between locations. The results showed a highly significant increase (P<0.0001) in average daily milk yield, from 5.64 ± 1.53 liters before supplementation to 8.17 ± 1.61 liters after supplementation (P < 0.001). The mean increase in milk yield varied by location, with Sinkat showing the highest increase (2.60 ± 0.38 liters), followed by Port Sudan (2.55 ± 0.48 liters), and Sawakin (2.42 ± 0.44 liters). However, these differences between locations were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). In conclusion, supplementation with 2 kg of concentrate per head per day, following 7 hours of grazing, significantly increased (P<0.05) milk yield in lactating camels. The study recommends the use of concentrate supplementation as an effective strategy to enhance milk production in semi-intensive camel dairy systems.

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