​Risk Factors Associated with Preweaning Mortality of Barbari, Jamunapari and Jakhrana Goat Kids

Abstract

Background: High mortality of goat kids due to infectious and non-infectious diseases negatively impacts goat husbandry. Methods: To study the influence of genetic and nongenetic factors on preweaning mortality of goat kids, three years’ data (July, 2015 to June, 2018) of breeds maintained at Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute for Research on Goats (ICAR-CIRG) viz. Barbari, Jamunapari and Jakhrana was analyzed to find effect of breed, parity, birth weight, litter size, season of birth, sex and kid’s age on mortality. Postmortem findings as entered in the record have been considered to arrive at the cause of mortality. Result: A preweaning mortality rate of 2.59% was recorded in kids of all the three breeds studied. Mortality rate of Barbari, Jamunapari and Jakhrana kids was found to be 2.15%, 3.39% and 2.13% respectively. Kids birth weight, sex or age had no effect on mortality. Highest mortality was observed in kids born as triplet/quadruplet (4.49%) followed by that in twins (2.88%) and singlets (2.01%). Highest mortality was observed in kids born to primiparous dams (3.95%) followed by kids born to dams having =/ greater than 5th parity (3.01%) and least in 2nd to 4th parity (1.82%). Most of the kids died due to enteritis (38.3%) followed by pneumonia (28.3%), debility and anemia (11.7%) septicemia (10%) and others in remaining 11.7% cases.