Dwarf Kids Research Articles

Growth performance, genetic parameters and selection index of pure and crossbred populations of Red Sokoto and West African Dwarf goats

In 2008, a breeding programme was designed to develop hybrid goat suitable for the rainforest agro-ecological zone of South-Eastern, Nigeria. Two indigenous goat breeds namely, Red Sokoto (RS) and West African Dwarf (WAD) goats were utilized and mated in a main (RS x WAD), reciprocal (WAD x RS) and pure line (RS x RS and WAD x WAD) fashion. A total of 74 progenies were generated from the matings and were evaluated for 12week growth performance. As part of the ranking procedure, a selection index was constructed based on two major body components namely body weight (BWT) and heart girth (HGT) to objectively determine the genetic worth of the growing pure and crossbred progenies of Red Sokoto and West African Dwarf kids. The results showed that average body weight (BWT) of RS x RS (5.29±0.13kg) and RS x WAD (5.14±0.21kg) buck kids were similar but significantly (P< 0.05) heavier than that of their WAD x RS (4.84 + 0.17kg) and WAD x WAD (4.79 + 0.17kg) counterparts. The performance of crossbred RS x WAD compared to WAD x RS and WAD x WAD buck kids indicate that the main crossbred kids sired by Red Sokoto bucks but nursed by WAD dams received superior sets of genes from their large-sized sire. The RS x WAD buck kids in particular, had significantly longer body length (BLT), height-at-withers (HWT) and HGT than WAD x RS and WAD x WAD kids. The phenotypic and genetic correlations of BWT and HGT in both sexes for the different genotypes were high and positive which were indicative of the nature of association between these conformation traits in goats. Heritability estimates (h2) for BWT and HGT in males and females kids ranged from 0.31 – 0.36 versus 0.28 – 0.30, respectively in most of the growing kids. The relative economic values (REV) of chosen traits were generally higher for male kids compared to their female counterparts. Phenotypic variances for BWT and HGT in male and female kids ranged from 0.65 – 0.80. The selection index values were highest in male and female kids of RS x RS, followed by RS x WAD, while WAD x RS kids ranked low and WAD x WAD kids ranked the least. Thus, indicating that selection and improvement of growth traits in these pure and crossbred kids would be in favour of the RS x RS and RS x WAD individuals.

Effects of varying dietary zinc levels on energy and nitrogen utilization in West African dwarf kids.

Zinc is an essential dietary mineral for growth and pregnancy in livestock. However, its requirement for indigenous livestock has not been given adequate attention. Therefore, zinc requirement for energy and nitrogen utilization in West African dwarf (WAD) kid was investigated. Forage crops and commercial rations from four different feed mills, were analyzed to provide baseline zinc levels to which goats were exposed. Twenty-one weaned WAD female kids, aged 5-6 months and weighing 4.8-5.6kg were randomly assigned to seven dietary treatments and were further replicated three times. in a completely randomized design. Animals were transferred to individual metabolic cages for separate collection of feaces and urine 14 and 15 weeks later. Parameters determined were dry matter intake (DMI), energy utilization and nitrogen utilization. The mean±SE of Panicum maximum, Andropogon gayanus, Pennisetum purpureum, Leucaena leucocephala and Gliricidia sepium, contained 31.2±5.0; 29.1± 3.0;34.6± 6.0; 45.0± 5.0 and 47.1± 4.0mg Zn/kg DM respectively. Growing WAD kids fed 134.0 mg/kg DM had significantly (p<0.05) higher DM1 (% of body weight) of 8.2 as compared with kids fed 44.0, 104.0, 164.0, 194.0, 224.0 and 254.0mg Zn/kg DM which recorded 7.7, 7.9, 7.4, 7.3, 7.1 and 4.3 % respectively. This trend was observed for energy utilization (77.40) which was significantly (p<0.05) higher than other dietary treatments which recorded 74.40. 75.20. 70.10, 65.37, 64.10 and 49.42 respectively. Animals on dietary Zn content of 134.0ppm and 164.0ppm recorded the lowest feed conversion ratio of 6.00. Therefore, growing WAD kids required 134mgZn/kg DM for optimal growth and physiological performance.

Vigour in West African Dwarf kids within the first 24h post-partum.

One hundred and fifty West African Dwarf (WAD) kids were tested at the National Goats Breeding Station to determine the effects of some neonatal factors on their vigour levels within the first 24h post-partum. The kids were also tested to establish the relationship between maternal weight, rectal temperature, times of first standing and sucking, sucking period and vigour. The distance covered (in meters) by a kid towards its mother during a 5-min test period was considered as vigour trait. Vigour levels increased significantly (p < 0.05) with increasing age within the first 24h post-partum. Kids born to second parity mothers had higher (p < 0.05) vigour than those born to first parity mothers. Similarly, high birth weight kids had higher (p < 0.05) vigour levels than low birth weight kids. Weak positive and negative correlations (p < 0.05), respectively, were found between vigour and rectal temperature, and vigour and the time of first successfully standing. However, there was moderate positive correlation (p < 0.01) between vigour and sucking period. The time it took for the newborn kid to stand up for the first time also correlated weakly and negatively (p < 0.01) with the duration of sucking by the newborn within the first 5min of accessing the teat. Vigour within the first 24h post-partum in WAD kids increased with increasing age, parity and birth weight and might be responsible for the earlier and longer sucking time and periods, respectively, in high birth weight kids and those dropped by multiparous does.

Concurrence of Eimeria and helminth parasitic infections in West African Dwarf kids in Ghana

The sequence of appearance of Eimeria and helminths, in 20 West African Dwarf kids from birth and the pattern of oocyst and strongyle worm egg output for 1.5 years are described. Eimeria oocysts appeared early about 20 days after birth and oocyst output in some kids reached 2.7 million oocysts per gram (opg) of faeces about 39 days after birth and showed a group mean oocyst output of 443,540 opg in the second month but this declined further to 23,840 opg after 5.5 months. Eimeria arloingi (20.50%), Eimeria ninakohlyakimovae (17.02%), Eimeria alijevi (15.07%), Eimeria caprina (12.65%), Eimeria jolchijevi (11.42%), Eimeria apsheronica (8.70%), Eimeria pallida (5.31%), Eimeria caprovina (3.29%), Eimeria hirci (3.20%) and Eimeria christenseni (2.84%) were seen in a descending order of prevalence. Strongyle worm ova were seen 53 days after birth and peaked soon after the fall in Eimeria oocyst output but thereafter fluctuated. The eggs of cestode, Moniezia spp. appeared later but was transient. Both oocyst and worm egg output declined and were almost absent when the kids were about 1 year old. Faecal larval cultures were made and the L 3s identified with the dominant ones being Haemonchus spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. Sixty percent of the kids in this study died when they were 7 months old and a total of 70% of the kids had died before they were 1 year old.

Influence of nickel supplementation from nickel sulphate hexahydrate and nickel-sodium monofluorophosphate on the performance of the West African dwarf kids

The influence of nickel supplementation on the performance of the West African dwarf kids was studied. The investigation involved 12 kids, 3–4 months old with average weight of 5.99±0.18 kg in a completely randomised design experiment. The treatments consisted of nickel in the forms of nickel-sodium monofluorophosphate (Ni-SMFP) and nickel sulphate hexahydrate (NiSO 4·6H 2O) added to a corn-based diet at 10 ppm of nickel. The control was the corn-based diet with no nickel supplement. Feeding was at 4% of body weight. Parameters for assessment were weight gain, feed intake, nitrogen intake and retention, urea, total protein, creatinine and glucose in serum, haemoglobin, erythrocyte and leucocyte counts. Feed intake, weight gain and nitrogen retention were affected ( P<0.05) by treatment, Ni-SMFP having greater ( P<0.05) influence than NiSO 4·6H 2O. Nickel supplementation had no effect on serum creatinine, glucose, haemoglobin, erythrocyte and leucocyte counts. Ni-SMFP may be the better supplementary form of nickel in enhancing the performance of the young kid.

Effects of strategic feed supplementation during pregnancy on birthweight and perinatal survival of West African Dwarf kids

SummaryVaried quantities of concentrate supplement were fed to three groups of pregnant West African Dwarf (WAD) goats at different gestational periods, while forage was provided ad libitum throughout pregnancy. One group (A) was fed on concentrate at the rate of 50 g/kg metabolic weight (W0·75) per day throughout pregnancy, a second group (B) was offered concentrate from Days 61 to 120, and 121 to term at the rate of 50 g and 25 g/kg metabolic weight per day, respectively, and a third group (C) was provided with concentrate from Days 61 to 120 and 121 to term at the rate of 25 g and 50 g/kg metabolic weight per day, respectively.Results showed that there were no abortions, although two animals from group A had dystocia (difficult birth). There was no significant difference between the mean birthweight and neonatal growth rates of kids from groups A and B. The mean birthweight and neonatal growth rates of the kids from group C were significantly (P &lt; 0·01) lower than those of groups A and B. There was no significant (P &gt;0·05) difference between the mean udder circumference of animals in group C and those in groups A and B. All the neonatal deaths were recorded among the kids in group C. It is concluded that for economic animal production although it may not be necessary to feed pregnant WAD goats on high concentrate rations throughout the gestational period, they should not be underfed between Days 61 and 120 of pregnancy.

Profile of Some Plasma Enzyme Activities in Growing Dwarf and Landrace Kids

Plasma alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase and alkaline phosphatase activities were studied in clinically healthy Danish landrace and dwarf kids in seven herds from birth to 12 months of age. The purpose was to evaluate the influence of age, breed and herd on reference values. The mean enzyme levels +/- standard deviation (s) in neonatal dwarf kids were 0.09 +/- 0.04, 1.23 +/- 0.24, 2.79 +/- 1.50 and 18.3 +/- 11.0 mu kat/l respectively. The respective values in landrace kids were 0.13 +/- 0.06, 1.06 +/- 0.22, 2.44 +/- 1.60 and 37.6 +/- 23.6 mu kat/l. In 8-12 months old dwarf kids they were 0.30 +/- 0.11, 1.49 +/- 0.13, 3.28 +/- 0.44 and 11.1 +/- 2.4 mu kat/l respectively and 0.23 +/- 0.05, 1.12 +/- 0.34, 3.68 +/- 1.63 and 14.1 +/- 8.40 mu kat/l respectively in landrace kids of the same age. The 5th to 95th percentile intervals of the enzyme activities were within mean +/- 2s for most age groups in both breeds except alkaline phosphatase. The means and medians were close to each other for the values of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase but not for alkaline phosphatase. Alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase levels were low at birth and increased with age, whereas for alkaline phosphatase it was vice versa. Significant differences were observed in mean enzyme activities between kids of different ages (within breeds), breeds (in same age kids) and herds (within same breed and age kids). Sex variations (within the breeds) were not observed. It was concluded that plasma enzyme activities are dependent on age, breed and environment.

Leukocyte Profile in Growing Dwarf and Landrace Kids

Total and differential leukocyte count profiles were studied in 62 clinically healthy Danish landrace kids and 34 clinically healthy dwarf kids from birth to 12 months of age in seven Danish herds. The objective was to determine the reference values in the two breeds and the influence of age, sex and environment and whether there are any breed differences. Parametric (mean +/- 2 standard deviations) and the nonparametric (5th to 95th percentile interval) values for each leukocyte type were closely related. The medians were very close to the means. The number of leukocytes was low in neonates, 7.1 +/- 1.5 and 7.0 +/- 2.1 x 10(9)/l in dwarf and landrace kids respectively. Values increased with age to 18.7 +/- 2.1 and 13.4 +/- 3.1 x 10(9)/l in the two breeds respectively at 8-12 months of age. There were significant differences in leukocyte counts between the breeds at 1-2 and 8-12 months of age and at 2-4 months between herds within the breeds. The number of lymphocyte and neutrophil cells were 2.6 +/- 0.8 and 3.9 +/- 1.1 x 10(9)/l respectively in neonatal dwarf and 4.1 +/- 1.5 and 2.3 +/- 1.1 x 10(9)/l respectively in landrace kids. Very high numbers of these cells were observed in dwarf and landrace kids respectively within 8 months, 10.7 +/- 1.1 and 8.2 +/- 3.3 lymphocytes and 6.8 +/- 1.7 and 4.4 +/- 2.6 x 10(9)/l neutrophils for the two breeds. Significant differences between the ages (within the breeds), breeds (within similar ages) and herds (within breeds in kids of similar ages) were observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Haematological Profile in Neonatal Dwarf and Landrace Kids

The haematological profile in neonatal dwarf and Danish landrace kids was investigated in 62 healthy Danish landrace and 34 dwarf kids from birth to 12 months of age in 7 herds. The objective was to determine the reference values in the breeds, and evaluate the influence of age and environment on haematological parameters. Parametric (means and standard deviations) and non-parametric (5th, 95th percentile, median) values were calculated for each analysis. Results of the two statistical methods were close to each other. The number of erythrocytes in both breeds increased with age from neonatal minimum values. Haemoglobin concentration and haematocrit decreased from the neonatal values in the following two weeks of life, whereafter they increased. Haemoglobin concentration and mean corpuscular volumes were significantly higher in neonatal dwarf than in landrace kids. Differences in erythrocyte counts and haematocrit were observed with subsequent growth. There were significant differences in erythrocyte counts, haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin, between breeds (in kids of similar age), age groups (within the breeds) and herds (in kids of similar age within the breeds). Statistically significant differences in haematological values between female and male kids of similar young ages within the same breed were not observed. Age, breed and environment influenced the level of haematological parameters in kids.

Erythrocyte maturation in neonatal Dwarf and Landrace kids

The morphology of the erythrocyte cell series was investigated in external jugular vein blood samples from Dwarf and Danish Landrace goats aged from one day to 12 months. Three erythrocytic cell types were observed in neonates after supravital staining with new methylene blue. The first type were macrocytes which were stained uniformly dark to muddy blue. They formed the majority of the erythrocytic cells at birth and were categorized as diffusely basophilic chromatophilic erythrocytes. The second type were punctate and aggregated reticulocytes, and the third type were mature erythrocytes. The size ranges of the three erythrocytic cells were 4.2-5.6, 4.9-6.3 and 2.8-3.5 microns diameter respectively in the Dwarf kids and 5.6-9.7, 4.2-9.0 and 3.8-4.2 microns respectively in the Landrace kids during the first week of life. Romanowsky-stained blood smears from neonatal kids were characterized by anisocytosis and poikilocytosis in which polychromatophilic macrocytes were numerous, but reticulocytes were not clearly identifiable. The ranges of erythrocyte diameters in Romanowsky-stained neonatal blood films were 4.4-5.8 (5.2 +/- 0.39) and 4.1-6.7 (5.1 +/- 0.67) microns in Dwarf and Landrace kids respectively, decreasing to 3.0 +/- 0.15 and 3.3 +/- 0.13 microns in the two broods respectively by 12 months of age. The numbers of diffusely basophilic polychromatophilic erythrocytes and punctate/aggregated reticulocytes diminished with age and they were not observed in 1-2-month-old kids.