Performance Of Kids Research Articles

Performance and carcass characteristics of intact and castrated male Black goat kids fed diets of various energy levels

Thirty Black goat male kids were used in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement to evaluate the effects of three dietary energy levels (EL) and early castration (TRT) on growth performance, body and carcass characteristics. Upon weaning at 90 days of age, kids were randomly divided into three equal groups (n = 10: five intact and five castrated) and assigned to one of the three dietary treatments containing 15% CP and different energy levels: low (LEL; 10.44 MJ ME/kg DM), medium (MEL; 11.60 MJ ME/kg DM) and high energy (HEL; 12.90 MJ ME/kg DM). Kids were individually fed on an ad libitum basis and were slaughtered at the end of the fattening period. Results showed no differences between castrated and intact kids in feed and nutrient intake. The level of dietary energy affected dry matter intake (P < 0.05), metabolisable energy intake (P < 0.01), crude protein intake (P < 0.05), neutral detergent fibre (P < 0.001) and acid detergent fibre intakes (P < 0.001). Dry matter intake was 280, 305 and 264 g/kg W0.75.day for kids receiving LEL, MEL and HEL diets, respectively. Metabolisable energy intake was the highest for kids receiving the MEL diet (0.90 Mcal/kg W0.75.day) compared with LEL (0.73 Mcal/ kg W0.75.day) and HEL (0.88 Mcal/kg W0.75.day) diets. Final liveweight and average daily gain (ADG) were greater (P < 0.01) in MEL diets. Kids fed MEL gained 133 g/day, while ADG values were 92 and 100 g/day for kids fed LEL and HEL diets, respectively. Total muscle percentage was greater (P < 0.05) for kids fed MEL diets (55.9%) compared with LEL (53.8%) and HEL (51.1%) diets. Castrated kids had lower (P < 0.01) carcass muscle percentage, but higher carcass (P < 0.01) and subcutaneous (P < 0.001) fat percentages than intact kids. It can be concluded that the best growth performance was observed in kids receiving the MEL with no differences between castrated and intact kids. Castration influenced accretion of fat in castrated kids.

Body weight and growth rate of South African Angora goat kids under different pre- and post-weaning management systems

The data used for this study were collected on 16 644 kids born between 2000 and 2004 in 12 different Angora goat studs representing different management systems. Body weight and growth rate of kids from birth to 16 months of age, as well the 18- and 21-month body weights and first kidding performance of ewe kids were evaluated. Variable growth rates were recorded among kids in the different studs, which can be ascribed largely to different environments and supplementary feeding practices. The pre-weaning growth performance of both ram and ewe kids was satisfactory. However, the same did not apply for post-weaning growth rates. In those flocks where kids did not receive any supplementary feeding after weaning, their body weights remained virtually constant from weaning up to eight months of age. This phenomenon where especially ewe kids did not grow well after weaning, needs to be investigated further, since it influences the reproductive ability of young ewes directly. This was evident from the poor reproductive performance of young ewes in some of the studs. On the other hand, the effect of different pre-weaning treatments did not seem to be carried over to body weight and reproductive performance at first kidding age. South African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 37 (2) 2007: pp. 132-141

Growth performance and carcass characteristics of Awassi lambs and Shami goat kids fed yeast culture in their finishing diet

Two experiments were completed to examine effects of inclusion of a yeast culture (YC) to a diet based on barley grain and wheat straw on digestibility, growth and meat traits of Awassi lambs and Shami goat kids. Experiment 1 studied effects of YC on apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and N balance in sheep, while experiment 2 studied effects on growth performance and carcass composition of lambs and kids. The same diet was used in both experiments and the YC was added to the diet of treated groups at the level of 12.6 kg YC/tonne of diet. Addition of YC had no effect on apparent digestibility of DM, CP and NDF, but it increased (P<0.05) digestibility of OM and ADF. No differences occurred in N intake, output or retention. Addition of YC did not affect growth rate, or DM intake, in both lambs and kids. YC supplementation to lambs reduced hot carcass weight, cold dressing proportion and total muscle/bone ratio, but increased empty digestive tract weight. There were no changes in back fat thickness, intermuscular fat of the leg muscle, and weights and proportions of carcass cuts. Measures of kids’ carcass characteristics and quality also did not differ. Only cuts of leg and shoulder differed (P<0.05) when calculated as a proportion of the whole carcass cut. Results show that YC supplementation increased digestibility with no effect on growth, feed intake or feed conversion ratio of fattening lambs and kids. However, YC supplementation reduced meat/bone ratio and tissue protein content, but increased fat content in carcasses of fattening Awassi lambs, but not in fattened Shami kids.

Goat place in the sustainable agriculture: Compare some growth traits of meat type and dual-purpose type goats in Hungary

Raising goats can be a valuable part of a sustainable farm. Goats convert plant material that is unsuitable for other ruminants (sheep, cattle) and human consumption into high-quality animal products. Integrating goats into a farm system can increase its economic and environmental health and diversity, thereby making important contributions to the farm’s sustainability. The higher weight gain ability and good kid performance at slaughter can be achieved with Boer goats. The highest weaned kids/does rate in Boer goat are shown greater number of weaned offsprings. It means that is in unity area have biggest number of Boer goats than HN goats. It seems the goat keeping and using are well fit in the sustainable agriculture. Goats are suitable controll weedy areas and produce different foods (meat, cheese and yogurt) by low-input for humans.

Effect of partial replacement of concentrates with jackfruit ( Artocarpus heterophyllus) leaves on growth performance of kids grazing on native pasture of Tripura, India

Fifteen Black Bengal kids of about 3 months of age and body weight ranging from 3.8 to 4.9 kg were randomly distributed into three groups of five. Kids grazed native pasture 8 h/d. The kids in group I received supplementary concentrate (maize 35%, mustard cake 32%, rice bran 30%, mineral mixture 2% and common salt 1%) at approximately 2% of BW. However, 25 and 50% of the concentrate was replaced with jackfruit leaves for groups II and III, respectively. Total dry matter intake (DMI) was significantly higher in groups II and III than for group I due to greater forage consumption. Digestibility of CP ( P < 0.05) decreased and that of NDF increased ( P < 0.01) with increasing level of jackfruit leaves in the diet. Digestibility of ADF ( P < 0.01), hemi cellulose ( P < 0.05) and cellulose ( P < 0.01) was higher in groups II and III in comparison to group I. Ruminal pH and TVFA concentration were not significantly different among the groups; however, rumen ammonia-N concentration decreased ( P < 0.01) with increased level of jackfruit leaves in the diet. Similarly, plasma urea nitrogen and blood glucose levels were also reduced ( P < 0.05) with increasing level of jackfruit leaves in the diet Average daily gain (ADG) was 47.33, 45.11 and 35.56 g/d in groups I, II and III, respectively. ADG and DMI/kg gain were not adversely affected when the level of replacement was restricted to 25%; however, at the 50% of replacement both parameters were adversely affected ( P < 0.05). From the results of this experiment, it was concluded that jackfruit leaves might replace 25% of the supplemental concentrate for growing kids grazing in native pasture of northeast India.

Effect of feeding complete diets containing graded levels of Prosopis cineraria leaves on feed intake, nutrient utilization and rumen fermentation in lambs and kids

A study was conducted to assess the effect of feeding graded levels of tannin-containing Prosopis cineraria leaves in a complete feed mixture (CFM) on the performance of lambs and kids. Eighteen lambs and 18 kids of Malpura and Marwari breed, respectively of similar age (90 days) and body weight (11.0 kg), were randomly distributed in to three groups of six each. Each group was offered complete feed mixtures ad libitum in feeding troughs under group feeding system for 90 days. The concentrate component of CFM was from the commercial feed in mash form containing corn, soybean meal, wheat bran and de-oiled rice bran. Prosopis leaves were ground to pass through a 4 mm sieve before being thoroughly mixed with required quantity of concentrate mash. CFMs contained graded levels of P. cineraria leaves. In, CFM-1, ratio of P. cineraria to concentrate mixture was 25: 75 (T 1), whereas in CFM-2 and CFM-3, it was 50:50 (T 2) and 75:25 (T 3), respectively. The lambs in L 1, L 2 and L 3 and kids in K 1, K 2 and K 3, groups received CFM-1, CFM-2 and CFM-3, respectively. CP (g kg −1) was 182 in CFM-1, 162 in CFM-2 and 140 in CFM-3. P. cineraria leaves contained (g kg −1) CP 159, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) 567, acid detergent fibre (ADF) 360 and acid detergent lignin (ADL) 189 on dry matter (DM) basis. The extractable condensed tannin (CT; leucocyanidin equivalent), hydrolysable tannin (HT) and protein precipitation capacity (PPC) of the leaves (g kg −1) were 90.7, 3.4 and 111.5, respectively. DMI in L 1 and L 2 lambs were higher than their corresponding groups in kids, whereas it was reverse in L 3 (more in kids than lambs). Significant difference in digestible crude protein (DCP) intake was recorded among the groups in both lambs and kids. In lambs, highest DCPI (g day −1) was recorded in L 1 (93.3), as compared to L 2 (82.2) and L 3 (37.2), whereas in kids it was K 2 (73.4), followed by K 1 (69.2) and K 3 (43.8). Significant difference in the digestibility of DM, CP and NDF were recorded among three groups in both species. Maximum nutrient digestibility was recorded in T 1 followed by T2 and T 3 in both lambs and kids. However, digestibility of all the nutrients was more in kids than that of lambs. Maximum ammonia-N, total N and trichloro acetic acid (TCA) precipitable N was recorded in T 1 followed by T 2 and T 3 in both the species. However, there was no typical trend between the two species in rumen parameters. Blood haemoglobin (Hb) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) values were highest in T 1 followed by T 2 and T 3 in both lambs and kids. After 90 days of intensive feeding, maximum weight gain was recorded in T 2 as compared to that of T 1 and T 3 in both lambs and kids. Although L 1 lambs performed better under high concentrate diet compared to K 1 kids, weight gain in K 2 and K 3 kids were significantly higher compared to their counter part lambs. Similar was the trend in ADG also. It was concluded that performance of lambs and kids differed with the level of CT in their diet and kids performed better on high tannin diet as compared to that of lambs.

Effect of Probiotic Supplementation Shortly Before and After Weaning on Growth of Turkish Saanen Kids

Abstract. Sixteen kids were assigned at an average of 6 weeks of age to two treatments: control with no supplementation and 5 g/kid of probiotic supplementation daily. The probiotic was resuspended in distilled water and given orally every day in the morning throughout a 42 d study. Grower concentrate, vetch hay and water were offered ad libitum throughout the study. Kids were abruptly weaned 14 days after the initiation of the study and received only grower concentrate, vetch hay and water ad libitum from d 15 to 42. The supplementation of probiotic did not result in any significant differences in weight gain, nutrient intake, feed efficiency and diarrhea score in kids. However a positive trend toward improved weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency in kids supplemented with probiotic suggested that probiotic might improve growth and performance of kids and are worth further investigation.

Growth performance and body composition of goat kids fed milk replacers with increasing levels of linoleic acid

Twenty, 1-2-day-old goat kids were used in a feeding trial to investigate the effect of linoleic acid (LA) (C18:2n-6) intake on weight gain and carcass composition. Eight animals were selected randomly and killed at the start of the trial to determine initial body composition. The other animals were assigned to the three dietary treatments and were fed milk replacers with varying LA concentrations (low: 5.5%; medium: 11.2% and high: 17.1% LA of total fatty acids) for 5 weeks. There was no systematic effect of LA intake on body composition. The average retentions of fat, protein, ash and energy were 46.3%, 61.2%, 42.2% and 37.4% respectively. Increased intakes of LA caused a significant increase in LA content of the carcass and of the weight gain, whereas there was a simultaneous decrease in fatty acids with 16 carbon atoms or less. The incorporation of LA into carcass was directly related to intake, but the percentage retention of LA remained constant. The data indicate that in goat kids the intake of extra LA raises the amount of LA in carcass but does not affect the total fat content.

Effects of the strategic supplementation of does’ diets on goat performance and smallstock keeper livelihood in the Gangetic plains of Nepal

Keeping goats can make an important contribution to the livelihoods of small and landless farmers in Nepal, one of the world’s poorest countries. Work with four communities in the Dhanusha district of southern Nepal identified that a key constraint to goatkeeping in this area was doe infertility. Of 114 does over 10 months old that were monitored for a 12 month period, 33 did not kid and a further six were sold because of infertility. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of strategic supplementation of does’ diets on doe and kid performance, and on the contribution that the goat flock made to the livelihoods of the goatkeepers.

Growth performance of sahelian and red Sokoto kids fed digitaria simutsii hay supplemented with concentrate

Growth performance of sahelian and red Sokoto kids fed digitaria simutsii hay supplemented with concentrate

Performance and ruminal morphologic characteristics of Saanen kids fed ground, pelleted or extruded total ration

The aim of the present study was to determine feed intake and average weight gain and to evaluate the ruminal morphologic characteristics of Saanen kids slaughtered at 30, 45 and 60 days of age, according to a completely randomized design. Thirty-six non-castrated male Saanen kids were fed ground total ration, pelleted total ration, or extruded total ration. Feed intake and refusals were controlled daily and the animals were weighed at birth and then once a week. Newborn kids received a milk replacer and were weaned at 45 days. Immediately after slaughter, the animals were eviscerated, the entire digestive apparatus was removed from the carcass. The reticulo-rumen was separated, emptied, washed and weighed. Samples were collected from the dorsal sac, pillar area and ventral sac of the rumen, fixed for about 24 h in Bouin's solution, dehydrated, embedded in Histosec and cut into 5 μm sections. Results showed that dry matter intake (DMI) at weaning and post-weaning and weight gain were higher ( P < 0.05) in animals that received the pelleted total ration. The weight of the reticulo-rumen accompanied body development and was heavier in these animals. Histologically, after weaning ruminal papillae were more developed in animals that received pelleted total ration. Length of papillae increased with increase of age. The ratio of papillary height to papillary width increased with age in the ventral sac and until weaning ( P > 0.05). We conclude that the pelleting process of the total ration favored increased intake, with a 46.7% increase in weight gain and increase in rumen weight and papillae length, suggesting that best results are obtained with this processing. In general, no difference was observed between the results obtained with extruded and ground total ration, although animals fed extruded total ration showed an increase in rumen weight and papillae width.

Desempenho produtivo de cabritos submetidos a diferentes períodos de aleitamento

O experimento foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar desempenho produtivo de cabritos submetidos a diferentes períodos de aleitamento. Foram utilizados 42 caprinos mestiços de raça Alpina, sendo 21 fêmeas e 21 machos inteiros, distribuídos em três tratamentos com 14 animais: T1- desmame aos 56, T2 - desmame aos 70 e T3 - desmame aos 84 dias de idade. A dieta líquida, até os 35 dias de idade, foi leite de cabra, fornecido em duas mamadas e, após este período, passou a ser fornecida apenas em uma mamada, à tarde. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi inteiramente casualisado, com sete repetições, em esquema fatorial 3x2, com os fatores época de desmame e sexo (macho e fêmea). As médias de pesos, para os tratamentos, aos 182 dias de idade foram: T1= 19,3b, T2= 20,3ab e T3= 21,4ª kg. No período de 85 aos 182 dias de idade, não se verificou diferença significativa no ganho de peso entre os tratamentos, cujas médias foram: T1= 65ª, T2= 57ª e T3= 66ª g/dia. O desaleitamento aos 56 dias de idade proporcionou desenvolvimento satisfatório dos cabritos.

Growth performance and fatty acid status of goat kids fed milk replacers with different contents of linoleic and α-linolenic acid

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3, ALA) and linoleic acid (C18:2n-6, LA) on growth performance and fatty acid status of goat kids. The 5 week-feeding trial had a 2×2 factorial design with two levels of LA (5.5% and 11.2% of total fatty acids) and two levels of ALA (0.2% and 0.6% of total fatty acids) in the milk replacers. The goat kids were fed a restricted amount of milk replacer. Dietary treatments had no influence on growth performance and feed utilization. This outcome indicates that in the formulation of milk replacers for goat kids the contents of ALA and LA are not very critical. The concentration of plasma triglycerides was lowered by the high intake of ALA and LA. The dietary level of ALA or LA was reflected in the composition of these fatty acids in red blood cells, adipose tissue and liver. The milk replacer with high ratio of ALA to LA significantly increased the contents of eicosapentaenoic (C20:5n-3, EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3, DHA) in liver of the goat kids. This metabolic interaction between dietary ALA and LA was observed in liver only.

Substituting Bread By-product for Barley Grain in Fattening Diets for Baladi Kids

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of substituting bread by-product (BBP) for barley grain in high concentrate fattening diets for kids on nutrient intake, growth performance, and nutrient digestibility. Twenty-eight Baladi kids (body weight=17.1±1.0 kg) were assigned randomly to 4 experimental finishing diets (7 kids/treatment) in a completely randomized design for 70 days. The control (CON) diet contained 20, 60, 11, 7 and 2% (DM basis) alfalfa hay, barley grain, soybean meal, corn grain, and mineral and vitamin mix, respectively. Bread by-product substituted barley grain by 10, 20 and 30% of the diet DM in the LBBP, MBBP, and HBBP diets, respectively. Dry matter intakes for the CON, LBBP and MBBP diets were similar (p>0.05; avg.=592 g/day), however, kids fed the HBBP diet had a lower (p 0.05) average daily gain for kids fed the CON, LBBP and MBBP diets (avg.=150 g/day). Final body weights for kids fed the CON, LBBP and MBBP diets (avg. 27.1 kg) were greater (p 0.05) effect of the dietary treatment was observed for DM, OM and NDF digestibility. Substituting BBP for barley grain up to 20% of the diet DM did not affect nutrient intake, growth performance and nutrient digestibility of kids and resulted in a decrease in feed cost. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2004. Vol 17, No. 5 : 629-632)

Effect of supplementation containing polyethylene glycol (PEG)-6000 on intake, rumen fermentation pattern and growth in kids fed foliage of Prosopis cineraria

A study was designed to assess the effect of replacing groundnut cake (GNC) in a compounded feed mixture (CFM) with 50 g kg −1 DM of polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG-6000) on performance of kids fed tannin-containing foliage of Prosopis cineraria. Thirty Kutchi weaner kids of similar body weight (10.31±0.11 kg) and age (90 days) were divided into three homogeneous groups (HP, LP and LP-PEG). They were supplemented with 100 (first month), 150 (second month) and 200 g per day (third month) of CFM before being allocated to the range. Kids in HP received a standard CFM with groundnut cake; LP received CFM in which GNC was replaced with cereal grains and LP-PEG received CFM in which the cake was substituted with 50 g kg −1 DM of PEG-6000. All the kids were grazed as a flock from 08:00 to 17:00 h on a 35 ha plot of native range of India. From April to June they were fed freshly cut leaves of P. cineraria in the range. On DM basis P. cineraria leaves contained 159.2 g kg −1 crude protein (CP), 567.2 g kg −1 neutral detergent fibre (NDF), 360.0 g kg −1 acid detergent fibre (ADF) and 188.6 g kg −1 acid detergent lignin (ADL). CP digestibility was higher ( P=0.004) in HP (0.541) and LP-PEG (0.530) compared to LP (0.444). Digestible crude protein (DCP) (g per day) and metabolisable energy intakes (MJ per day) in HP, LP and LP-PEG were 84.4, 61.06 and 85.56; 12.76, 12.55 and 14.89, respectively ( P=0.004 and 0.025). Blood haemoglobin (Hb) level (g dl −1) was higher ( P=0.001) in LP-PEG (12.3) compared to HP (9.12) and LP (8.96). A similar trend was found in blood urea nitrogen (BUN; P=0.008). Rumen ammonia N (mg dl −1) and total volatile fatty acid (mg dl −1) concentrations were higher ( P<0.05) in LP-PEG (7.34; 8.26) compared to HP (4.95; 7.12) and LP (4.27; 6.49). After 3 months of experimental period, body weight gain in HP and LP-PEG was similar (7.69 kg) and higher ( P<0.05) compared to LP (6.57 kg). These results indicate the possibility of substituting conventional high protein CFM with low protein CFM containing PEG-6000 in kids fed tannin rich foliage of P. cineraria.

Influence of feeding a milk replacer deficient in α-linolenic acid on fatty acid composition of various tissues in goat kids

Goat kids were fed for 5 weeks milk replacers with or without α-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3, ALA) and growth performance, plasma lipids and fatty acid composition of red blood cells, adipose tissue, liver, kidney, lymph node and spleen were examined. Ten animals were either given a milk replacer with 1.3% (% of total fatty acids) linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6, LA) and 0.6% ALA or a milk replacer (ALA-free) with 1.2% LA and no ALA. The diets did not contain eicosapentaenoic (C20:5 n-3) or docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6 n-3). Both experimental milk replacers contained 224 g crude protein and 17 MJ metabolizable energy per kg air-dry matter. Crude fat contents were 131 and 124 g/kg air-dry matter in the control and ALA-free milk replacer, respectively. Growth performance of the goat kids was not affected by dietary treatment. The ALA-free milk replacer decreased the concentrations of plasma total and LDL cholesterol. After feeding the ALA-free diet, ALA was not detectable in any of the tissues and the erythrocytes. Except for adipose tissue and red blood cells, there was still eicosapentaenoic acid in the tissues of the goat kids fed the diet deficient in ALA, but the levels were markedly reduced. The present study shows that dietary ALA is not essential for growth in goat kids for a period of up to 5 weeks after birth. It is suggested that at birth the goat kids had sufficiently large stores of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to prevent deficiency when fed the ALA-free milk replacer.

66. Differences in phenotypic development in pre-weaning farm and isolator reared piglets

Genetic parameters for growth, mortality and reproductive performances of Markhoz goats were estimated from data collected during 1993–2010 at Markhoz goat Performance Testing Station in Sanandaj, Iran. For kid performance traits 3763 records were available for birth weight (BW), 2931 for weaning weight (WW), average daily gain (ADG) and Kleiber ratio (KR) (approximated as ADW/WW0.75) and 3032 for pre-weaning mortality (PWM). For doe reproductive performance traits there were 2920 records available for litter size at birth (LSB), litter size at weaning (LSW), total litter weight at birth (TLWB) and litter mean weight per kid born (LMWKB), and 2182 for total litter weight at weaned (TLWW) and litter mean weight per kid weaned (LMWKW). Genetic parameters were estimated with univariate and bivariate models using restricted maximum likelihood (REML) procedures. Random effects were explored by fitting additive direct genetic effects, maternal additive genetic effects, maternal permanent environmental effects, the covariance between direct and maternal genetic effects, and common litter effects in different models for pre-weaning traits of kids. Also, in addition to an animal model, sire and threshold models, using a logit link function, were used for analyses of PWM. Models for LSB, LSW, TLWB, TLWW, LMWKB, and LMWKW included direct additive genetic effects, permanent environmental effects due to the animal as well as service sire effects. Estimated direct heritabilities were moderate for pre-weaning traits (0.22 for BW, 0.16 for WW, 0.21 for ADG, and 0.27 for KR and 0.29 for PWM), and low for reproduction traits (0.01 for LSB, 0.01 for LSW, 0.02 for TLWB, 0.03 for TLWW, 0.07 for LMWKB, and 0.06 for LMWKW). The estimates for the maternal additive genetic variance ratios were lower than direct heritability for BW (0.07) and KR (0.04). The estimate for the maternal permanent environmental variance ratios (c2) varied from 0.01 for KR to 0.07 for WW and ADG. The magnitude of common litter variance ratios (l2) was more substantial for BW (0.46) than the PWM (0.19) and KR (0.16). The estimate for the permanent environmental variance due to the animal (c2) ranged from 0.03 for LMWKB to 0.07 for TLWB and LMWKW, whereas service sire effects (s2) ranged from 0.02 to 0.04. The correlation between direct and maternal genetic effects were negative and high for BW (−0.51) and KR (−0.62). The genetic correlations between pre-weaning growth traits were positive and moderate to strong, as were genetic correlations between reproductive traits. Between BW and PWM the correlation was −0.35. Phenotypic and environmental correlations for all traits were generally lower than genetic correlations.

Effect of Rearing Systems on Kid Performance, Lactation Traits and Profitability of Shami (Damascus) Goats

Keskin, M. 2002. Effect of rearing systems on kid performance, lactation traits and profitability of Shami (Damascus) goats. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 22: 267–271. To compare the growth performance of kids, lactation characteristics and profitability of Shami (Damascus) goats, thirty three 4-years old does and their 39 kids were divided into two groups: In the traditional kid rearing group, kids were reared with dams without commercial milking and in the second group does were separated from the kids during the day and milked commercially once a day (MOD). During 60 days of study, no significant differences were found between the two groups with regard to kid growth, lactation yield and lactation length of dams. However, the MOD group appeared to be more profitable because it allowed more milk to be marketed.

Effect of polyethylene glycol-6000 on nutrient intake, digestion and growth of kids browsing Prosopis cineraria

A study was completed to assess effects of polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG-6000) feeding on nutrient intake, its utilisation and growth performance of kids browsing on tannin-containing Prosopis cineraria shrub foliage. Twenty Kutchi weaner kids of comparable body weight (11.2±0.53 kg) and age (3.0±0.11 month) were divided into two groups of 10 either supplemented with PEG-6000 (PEG group), or without PEG-6000 (tannin group). All kids were grazed as a flock from 08:00 to 17:00 h. During a 90 days period (December to March) they were fed freshly cut leaves of P. cineraria on range. Before grazing, each kid in the PEG group was drenched with 5 g of PEG-6000, dissolved in 10 ml of water. P. cineraria leaves contained 165 g/kg crude protein (CP), 552 g/kg neutral detergent fibre (NDF), 349 g/kg acid detergent fibre (ADF) and 198 g/kg acid detergent lignin (ADL). The dry matter (DM) intake (DMI) in PEG drenched kids was 871 g per day versus 691 g per day ( P<0.01) in the tannin group. PEG feeding improved ( P<0.05) CP digestibility from 0.436 to 0.504 and intake of digestible CP increased from 52 to 72 g per day ( P=0.002). Energy intake increased from 9.83 to 12.39 MJ per day ( P=0.009). Blood haemoglobin (Hb) and urea N levels were 11.02 g/dl and 15.52 mg/dl in kids receiving PEG compared to 9.16 g/dl and 13.70 mg/dl in control kids (all P<0.05). Six hours after introduction in to range, the rumen pH of 7.1 in PEG group was lower ( P<0.05) than that of 7.4 in the tannin group kids. Rumen ammonia nitrogen (NH 3N), total N and total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) concentrations were 6.16, 4.06; 146.4, 120.2 mg/dl and 10.64, 8.90 mmol/dl in the PEG and tannin groups, respectively and all differences were P<0.05. The body weight gain in PEG group (5.69 kg) was higher ( P<0.05) than that of the tannin group (4.72 kg). Feeding of 5 g per day PEG alleviates negative effects of Prosopis tannin on DM intake and digestion of nutrients.

Effect of protein : energy ratio in milk replacers on growth performance of goat kids.

Two separate experiments were carried out to establish the effects of the protein:energy ratio in milk replacers on growth performance, plasma lipid concentrations and fatty acid composition in adipose tissue of male goat kids. In the first experiment there were 211 3-day- old goat kids and in the second experiment there were 121 kids aged 3-7 days. The animals were fed ad libitum for a period of 4 weeks on milk replacers containing either 11.5 or 9.5 g crude protein/MJ metabolizable energy. In essence, protein was exchanged with fat on a weight basis. Milk concentrations were increased from 160 to 190 g/l in experiment 1, from 150 to 180 g/l in experiment 2. There were significant increases in body weight and feed intake when the milk replacer with high protein : energy ratio was fed. Group mean average daily weight gain was 168 and 203 g for the groups with low and high dietary protein:energy ratio in experiment 1; for experiment 2 the values were 139 and 160 g. Average dry matter intake was 18 and 14% higher for the diet with high protein:energy ratio in experiments 1 and 2, respectively. There was no change in either feed conversion (feed:gain ratio) or energy conversion (weight gain:energy intake ratio). There were no consistent diet effects on plasma lipid concentrations. Dietary fatty acid composition was reflected by that of adipose tissue. The milk replacer with high protein:energy ratio produced a small increase in the contents of myristic and palmitic acid in adipose tissue.