During the transition from late pregnancy to lactation, the goat mammary gland experiences a marked up-regulation of genes (e.g., LPL) involved in lipid metabolism and nutrient transport to support the high levels of milk production [25], which is in accordance with the findings in mammary gland of bovine [6,18] mouse [26], and human [27]. In early lactation, the goats used in the present study were in negative energy balance leading to mobilization of fatty acids from adipose tissue towards different tissues including liver and mammary gland to meet energy requirements