Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of diet and age on finishing performances and carcass characteristics of male Creole goats. A total of 91 weaned male Creole kids [84 days old ± 7 days, 9.2 kg live weight (LW) ± 0.5 kg] were randomly allocated in a 2 × 3 experimental design. The animals were fed individually with two diets: C0: a 28-day-old Digitaria decubens grass alone, or C50: the same grass plus a commercial concentrate (50% of the total diet) and then slaughtered at 7, 11, or 15 months of age. Significant feeding regimen and age at slaughter effects were observed on the goat carcass characteristics. The addition of concentrate improved the average daily gain (ADG), the dressing percentage, and the conformation score (1–5 scale) from 46 to 88 g/day, 52.8 to 62.4%, and 2.2 to 4.9, respectively. Moreover, carcasses of the C0 group appeared lean with less developed fat than the C50 group and lighter than visceral fat. The meat color was significantly more affected by diet than age. Our data suggested that the production of heavy carcasses with low proportions of fat in the meat is possible in this local breed. The valorization of such a forage feeding system until 11 months of age or with the addition of concentrate from 7 to 11 months of age should be evaluated economically.
Highlights
The role of native breeds in the improvement of the productivity of sustainable animal production in developing countries is of particular interest [1, 2]
The concentration of C18:3 fatty acids (FA) was higher in the forage, whereas the concentration of C16:0, C18:1n−9, and C18:2n−6 was higher in the commercial concentrate
The addition of 50% of concentrate to the diet significantly increased DMI, average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and carcass weights, yields, and scores but not the color (P < 0.01, Table 2)
Summary
The role of native breeds in the improvement of the productivity of sustainable animal production in developing countries is of particular interest [1, 2]. In the Caribbean region, most goat farming is based on the native Creole breed, a robust genotype mainly reared for meat and described for its good adaptive and reproductive traits [4]. The Creole goat breed of Guadeloupe is characterized by an average of 1.8 kg live weight (LW) at birth, and for bucks, a mature size of 45–60 kg LW. The introduction of exotic breeds, such as Boer goats, prized for their large size, their heavier carcass, and their greater growth rate threaten Creole goat rearing despite their better adaptation to the local environment [5]. According to breeders demand, one way to promote and develop the Creole breed is to maintain adequate carcass adiposity, quality attributes, and their great adaptability to the environment while improving growth performances
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