Fertility, Live Weight, Survival Rate, Greasy Fleece Weight, and Quality Traits of Angora Goats in Turkey

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the fertility, live weight, survival rate, greasy fleece weight, and quality traits of Angora goat herds in an animal breeding program in Turkey. The animals utilized in the study were from a public breeding project conducted by the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policy in the Ankara Province, specifically, on 25,917 goats in the Ayaş, Beypazarı, Güdül, Kızılcahamam, Nallıhan, and Polatlı districts of the Ankara Province in 2018. The average birth rate in the goats and the number of kids during birth were 87.5 % and 1.05 %, respectively. The 90th day survival rate was 78.48 % for the kids. The birth weight for the male kids was 2.45 ± 0.057 kg, and the average birth weight was 2.32 ± 0.055 kg for the female kids. Also, the birth weight on the 90th day of the experiment were 12.37 ± 3.33 kg and 10.94 ± 4.79 kg for the males and female kids, respectively. The greasy fleece weight of the Angora Goats in the Ayaş, Beypazarı, Güdül, Kızılcahamam, Nallıhan, and Polatlı districts were measured as 1.77 ± 0.62, 1.64 ± 0.83, 1.73 ± 0.57 2.06 ± 0.84, 1.78 ± 0.55, and 2.00 ± 0.58 kg, respectively. Moreover, the fiber diameter of these goats were 33.53 ± 4.95, 31.68 ± 4.50, 33.12 ± 5.18, 31.25 ± 4.11, 31.99 ± 4.50, and 32.39 ± 4.17 μ for the same districts, respectively. In the study, it was determined that the district, mother’s age, birth type, and sex affected kid birth weight (p < 0.001). While the district and age had a significant effect on the goat’s greasy fleece weight, the district, age, and greasy fleece weight significantly influenced the fiber diameter (p < 0.001). The 90th day body weight was affected by the district, mother’s age, type of birth, and sex. In line with these data, it can be concluded that the utilization of the fleece, fiber diameter, and birth weight as parameters can provide favorable results in the establishment of a breeding value index to improve the goat flocks.