ABSTRACT
The objective of the study was to develop a univariate model for analyzing energy balance data from lactating goats at mid lactation and determine maintenance requirements and partial efficiencies of energy utilization. Energy balance data from eight studies involving lactating Murciano-Granadina goats fed total mixed diets, which accounted for a variation in metabolizable energy (MEI) intake, milk energy output (EI), and tissue energy balance, were used. The database included records obtained by indirect calorimetry. Data were adjusted with a mixed model that included the study as a random effect. Then, two multivariate linear models were obtained: metabolizable and net energy models. The metabolizable model was MEI=β0+β2E1+β3Tg+β4T1+ε and the net energy model was E1=β0+β1MEI+β2Tg+β3T1+ε; where β0, β1, β2 and β3 were the parameters, Tg was tissue energy retention and Tl the milk energy derived from body stores. For a better fitted proposed model, net energy for maintenance (NEm) was 283 kJ/kg of Body Weight 0.75 (BW) per day, and the efficiency of utilization of ME for lactation (k1), body weight gain (kg) and body tissue mobilization for milk production (kt) were 62%, 83% and 78%, respectively. Maintenance requirements and partial efficiencies for milk production and tissue energy mobilization were similar to the values proposed by INRA (2018). The increase in the efficiency of utilizing dietary energy for gain, compared with other feeding systems, was partially attributed to the stage of lactation, due to that goats were feeding at mid lactation.