Sahel Goats Research Articles

Craniofacial Indices of the Different Ecotypes of the Sahel Goat in Nigeria

This study was done to ascertain if differences occur in the craniofacial indices of the seven ecotypes of the Sahel goat and to determine if such indices would be used for identification. Though females of all the ecotypes hadhigher values than males in all indices analyzed, only the rima oris length showed significant difference (P

Maxillofacial and mandibular phenotypes in the skulls of red Sokoto and Sahel goats in Nigeria: The role of dental abnormalities

This work examined phenotypic expressions in the anatomy of the mandible and maxillofacial region of the Red Sokoto and Sahel goats in Nigeria. The infraorbital foramen was placed above premolar two (PM2) in Red Sokoto but above premolar one (PM1) in Sahel. The Red Sokoto displayed interdigital septa (ruggae) which entered into mediolateral depressions of the opposing mandible but this was less prominent in the Sahel. Dental abnormalities were more pronounced in the Red Sokoto on the maxilla and mandibular rows. The facial and mandibular tuberosities were more prominent in the Red Sokoto goat and found to be more conspicuous in this breed with dental abnormalities. There was no significant difference between Calcium and Phosphorus in the craniofacial bones of goats with dental abnormalities compared to those without dental abnormalities in both breeds and in conclusion we thus suggest that the harsh environmental conditions of arid North West may be a greater predisposing factor for the negative dental profile of the Red Sokoto breed.

Bilateral testicular hypoplasia among mature Sahel bucks in Nigeria

Among 1608 Sahel goat bucks presented for slaughter at the Maiduguri Metropolitan abattoir in March-April 2007, 65.7% had plain white or black-white coat colour, and 91.2% were aged >1.5-3.0 years with mean body weights of 15.6-25.7 kg. Twenty-two (1.4%) of the mature bucks, aged 1.9 ± 0.3 years and weighing 20.6 ± 3.5 kg, had bilateral small hypoplastic testes that were symmetric, approximately 7 times smaller in weight, with a 2-fold reduction in longitudinal length and mid-circumference than the full-sized normal testes. The epididymes were also reduced in size as the testes. Histologically, the seminiferous tubules and caudal epididymides showed no evidence of spermatogenesis and the basement membranes of the seminiferous tubules were smooth. This is first report of bilateral testicular hypoplasia among Sahel goats in Nigeria.

Livelihood strategies in endemic livestock production systems in sub-humid zone of West Africa: trends, trade-offs and implications

Rural livelihoods in West Africa depend largely on livestock. The sub-humid and humid zones of the region, however, are highly affected by the tsetse flies, vector of trypanosomosis, by severely limiting livestock production and livelihood options. Endemic ruminant livestock breeds are trypanotolerant, but perceived as inferior compared to other breeds in terms of productivity. The paper shows trends of relative decline in endemic population as a result of increased crossbreeding, largely with zebu cattle and Sahelian sheep and goats, and considerable decline in habitat quality due to forest conversion, logging activities and bushfires. The trade-offs between livelihoods and income strategies and endemic ruminant and habitat conservation are captured by an understanding of the socio-economic conditions and potential drivers of breed choices and forest use within households and communities. The paper shows that livelihood analysis is an important step in understanding impacts and therefore responses to development projects and to ensure that the poorest categories are not excluded from development interventions.

Marketing of Sahelian Goats in North -Eastern Nigeria: Experience from Borno State

The study evaluated Sahelian goat marketing in Northeastern Nigeria, drawing experience from Borno State. It specifically identified the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents; examined the market structure and performance of Sahelian goat; determined the influence of some socio-economic characteristics on the sales’ revenue of the respondents as well as the channel and problem of Sahelian goat market. Data were collected from primary source through the use of structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of the marketers while Gini coefficient was used to determine the market structure. Ordinary least squares (OLS) Technique was used to determine the influence of some socio-economic factors on the sales revenue of respondents. The result revealed that 61.54% of the respondents were between the ages of 27 - 45 years while 28.21% were in the age range of 46 - 51 years. Analysis of years of marketing experience of the respondents showed that 89.75% had marketing experience of 6 - 24 years while 64.1% of them were literates. The Gini coefficient of 0.876992 obtained from the study indicates a high level of inequality in income of the respondents. The result also revealed that the regressors explained about 31% of the variability in independent variables. Majority (51.28%) of the respondents identified double charges (Jangali and Local Government fees) as one of their problems. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that government should put in place modern goat market facilities like standard weighing, grader and veterinary clinic in the market. This will help to transform the marketing process from the current traditional system to more modern one. Key words: Sahelian goat, marketing, Northeastern, Nigeria

Analysis of mitochondrial DNA diversity in Burkina Faso populations confirms the maternal genetic homogeneity of the West African goat

To date, no comprehensive study has been performed on mitochondrial genetic diversity of the West African goat. Here, we analysed a 481-bp fragment of the HVI region of 111 goats representing four native West African populations, namely the three main Burkina Faso breeds, zoo-farm kept Dwarf goats and endangered Spanish goat breeds used as the outgroup. Analyses gave 83 different haplotypes with 102 variable sites. Most haplotypes (65) were unique. Only three haplotypes were shared between populations. Haplotypes were assigned to cluster A except for H45 (belonging to the Spanish Bermeya goat) which was assigned to cluster C. amova analysis showed that divergence between groups (Phi(CT)) was not statistically significant regardless of whether the partition in two hierarchical levels that was fitted included Spanish samples or not. The West African goat scenario shown here is consistent with that previously reported for the species: haplogroup A is predominant and has a very high haplotype diversity regardless of the geographic area or sampled breed. The large phenotypic differences observable between the West African Dwarf and Sahelian long-legged goat populations are not detectable with mitochondrial markers. Moreover, a previously suggested introgression of Sahelian goat southwards because of desertification could not be assessed using mtDNA information.

Genetic characterisation of Burkina Faso goats using microsatellite polymorphism

A total of 133 reproductive individuals belonging to the 3 Burkina Faso goat breeds (Djallonké, Mossi and Sahelian) were analysed for 27 microsatellites. Additionally, 72 blood samples belonging to two reproductively isolated subpopulations of the endangered Spanish Bermeya goat were used as outgroup. The between-Burkinabé goat breeds molecular coancestry varied from 0.418 ± 0.006 (Mossi–Sahelian) to 0.450 ± 0.007 (Djallonké–Mossi) and exceeded that computed between the Bermeya subpopulations (0.372 ± 0.006). Moreover, the computed between-Burkinabé F ST's varied from 0.023 ± 0.003 (Djallonké–Mossi) to 0.038 ± 0.004 (Djallonké–Sahelian). Structure and degree of admixture of the Burkinabé goat population were assessed using the program STRUCTURE and showed a significant introgression of the Sahelian goat southwards. The classification of the Burkinabé goat into different breeds did not have strong genetic support at the microsatellite level due to the rough definition of livestock breeds in Africa, historical gene flow patterns and desertization. The Mossi goat can be considered a transition breed between the two major Burkinabé goat populations (Djallonké and Sahelian).

Prevalence of PPR cases among Sahel goats presented at the Borno State Veterinary clinic Maiduguri Nigeria from 1996-2005

Prevalence of PPR cases among Sahel goats presented at the Borno State Veterinary clinic Maiduguri Nigeria from 1996-2005

Multivariate analyses on morphological traits of goats in Burkina Faso

Abstract. A total of 10,147 female goats from Burkina Faso were scored for 7 body measures and 12 qualitative traits. Sampling included the three main environmental areas and goat breeds of Burkina Faso: the Sahel area (Sahelian goat), the Sudan-Sahel area (Mossi goat) and the Sudan area (Djallonké goat). Overall, the Sahelian goat had the highest values for the all the analysed body measures. Differences between the Sudan and the Sudan-Sahel goat were little. The Burkina Faso goat is mainly spotted (61.92 %) with horns type “Spanish Ibex” (84.05 %), frequent absence of beard (75.33 %) and wattles (70.92 %) and poorly developed udder (73.72 %). The Sahelian population included most individuals with dropping (95.60 %) and curled (73.62 %) ears, whilst most Sudan-Sahel individuals had horizontal ears (73.14 %) and most Sudan individuals had vertical ears (97.88 %). The largest Mahalanobis distance was found between the Sahelian and Sudan areas (7.50) whilst the Sudan and the Sudan-Sahel populations were poorly differentiated (1.15). Discriminant analysis showed that most Sahel and Sudan-Sahel individuals were classified into their source population (79.29 % and 82.69 %) whilst the Sudan individuals (93.40 %) were classified as Sudan-Sahel individuals. Both the canonical and the correspondence analyses showed that the Sahelian and Sudan individuals tended to cluster separately whilst the Sudan-Sahel individuals showed an intermediate distribution but clearly biased toward the Sudan individuals. The Sudan-Sahel (Mossi) population can be considered a result from the genetic contact between Sahelians and Sudan goats.

Response of Red Sokoto and Sahelian Goats to Trickle Haemonchus contortus Infection

Response of Red Sokoto and Sahelian Goats to Trickle Haemonchus contortus Infection

Growth Rates and Milk Production Potential of Sahelian and Red Sokoto Breeds of Goats in Northern Guinea Savannah

The milk production potentials and growth rates of Red Sokoto and Sahelian goats fed basal diets of maize stover and Digitaria smutsii (wolly finger grass) supplemented with concentrate was investigated in two separate trials. In experiment 1, ten multi-parous does were allocated to intensive management following kidding. Does were hand-milked twice weekly and the milk production recorded. Body weight changes of dam and kid, milk fat, milk solid were determined weekly over 12 weeks period. The average birth weight of the Sahelian (2.2+/-0.23 kg) was significantly (p<0.05) higher than the Red Sokoto kids (1.0+/-0.17). At weaning age, the average kid weight of the Sahelian (5.6+/-0.42 kg) was significantly higher than the Red Sokoto (3.9+/-0.44 kg). There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in daily milk yield and total lactation between the two breeds. The total solids and milk fat of 16.4+/-0.39 and 3.7+/-0.13% were significantly (p<0.05) higher for the Red Sokoto than the Sahelian (15.1+/-0.39 and 3.2+/-0.13%). The second trial was to evaluate the comparative growth of the Sahelian and Red Sokoto breeds of goats. Animals were group-fed based on sex and fed Digitaria smutsii hay supplemented with concentrate. The growth trial lasted for 150 days with a 14 day digestibility trial. The Average Daily Gain (ADG) were significantly (p<0.05) different for breed, as well as sex. The Red Sokoto (66.9+/-1.59) kids had higher ADG than the Sahelian (46.6+/-1.59). Similarly the males of the Red Sokoto (61.9+/-1.59) had higher ADG than the Sahelian males (46.7+/-0.59) and the females of both breed. The experiments demonstrated a linear increase in weight gains of Red Sokoto over the Sahelian and a slightly higher milk yield obtained from the Sahelian providing the basis to conclude that the Sahelian goat can adapted and fit into the production systems of Sudan Savannah rural farmers.

Growth and carcass characteristics of male Sahelian goats fed leaves or pods of Pterocarpus lucens or Acacia senegal

The effect of feeding browse on growth and carcass characteristics was studied using thirty-two 10–12 months old growing Sahelian goats weighing an average of 15.6 kg. The treatments were four diets: Acacia senegal pods, Pterocarpus lucens leaves and pods and a positive control. The browses were offered ad libitum and supplemented with 200 g of hay of Schoenefeldia gracilis and 200 g of millet bran, while the control group received 200 g of millet bran, 200 g of cottonseed cake and hay ad libitum. The highest DM intake was observed for goats fed A. senegal pods, resulting in higher CP intake from this diet. The diet with P. lucens leaves gave a higher feed consumption than the control diet, but CP intakes were similar. The goats fed P. lucens pods diet had the lowest CP intake. The higher intake of the A. senegal pods diet resulted in higher growth rate (56 g/day), comparable to the P. lucens leaves and the control diets (55 and 51 g/day respectively). However, the feed conversion ratio was the lowest for the control diet. The carcass weight, dressing percentage and weight of the primal cuts were higher for goats fed A. senegal pods, P. lucens leaves and the control diet. In conclusion A. senegal pods and P. lucens leaves showed good intake characteristics for goats under stall-feeding conditions. Pods from P. lucens, resulting in lower performance, can be fed with small amounts of millet bran for maintenance of goats during the dry season.

Diversity and Genetic Relationships among Seven West African Goat Breeds

This study was carried out to determine the genetic relationships among seven west African goat breeds: Casamance Goat (Kolda, Senegal), Labe Goat (Fouta Djallon, Guinea), three Sahel Goat (Djoloff, Senegal; Maradi, Niger; Gorgol, Mauritania) red Sokoto Goat (Maradi, Niger) and Guera goat (Atar, Mauritania).The polymorphism of six microsatellites and the α s1 -casein locus was analysed. The six microsatellite loci were polymorphic with a mean number of alleles ranging from 2.71 to 4.0. At the α s1 -casein locus, A and B were the most frequent alleles, which are known to be associated with a high level of protein synthesis. A neighbour-joining tree and a Principal Component Analysis were performed and the reliability of both methods was tested. Our study shows that the genetic relationships among the breeds analysed correspond to their geographical distribution and in addition, that the Labe Goat is strongly separated from the other breeds. Among the seven markers used, four have an effect on the distribution of breeds while three seem to be non-informative.

Postnatal histological development of the ovaries and uterus and the attainment of puberty in female kid goats

This study was aimed at documenting the postnatal histological development of the ovary and uterus in female goat kids under a traditional semi-intensive management system. The histological development of the ovaries and uteri were studied in 49 female Sahel goats, from birth to 6 months of age. Ovaries of the kids were found to have primordial, primary, secondary and small tertiary follicles at birth. The mean length, width, thickness and weight of the ovaries at birth were 0.67 ± 0.08, 0.34 ± 0.04, 0.19 ± 0.02 cm and 0.03 ± 0.01 g, respectively. These parameters increased at 3 months to 1.15 ± 0.06, 0.92 ± 0.06, 0.63 ± 0.08 cm and 0.24 ± 0.03 g, respectively. Corpora lutea were observed at 5 months (20%) of age. The mean length, width and weight of the uterine horns of female kids at birth were 3.81 ± 0.64, 0.34 ± 0.07 cm, 0.22 ± 0.07 g, respectively, and increased to 7.14 ± 1.51, 0.53 ± 0.07 cm, 0.92 ± 0.49 g, respectively, by 3 months of age. The uterus at 3 months was well developed with numerous endometrial glands, caruncles and a well-developed myometrium. It could be concluded that the ovaries and uterus increased in size and weight in the postnatal period and the uterine histological development was advanced at 3 months of age. Puberty (based on gross and histologic observation of corpora lutea) was attained at 5 months of age in female Sahel goat kids under traditional management systems.

Semen Characteristics of the Brown Ecotype of Sahel Goats in the Semi-arid Zone of Nigeria

Semen Characteristics of the Brown Ecotype of Sahel Goats in the Semi-arid Zone of Nigeria

Study on the susceptibility of Sahel goats to experimental Trypanosoma vivax infection

Sahel goats, also known as Borno whites are found in the northern semi-arid, tsetse free Sahel region of Nigeria. They are transported alongside cattle from this zone to all other zones in the country, including the tsetse-infested zones, for commercial purposes and are kept for some time in these tsetse-infested zones until they are sold. This study therefore assessed the susceptibility of this breed of goats to trypanosome infection and its response to treatment with Berenil. Six bucks were inoculated intravenously with Trypanosoma vivax through the jugular vein while two served as uninfected control. The mean pre-patent period was 4.5 days and increasing parasitaemia followed the establishment of infection. Onset of parasitaemia was associated with increase in rectal temperature in all the infected goats and the temperature peak coincided with the only parasitaemic peak second week post-infection. The infected goats were treated with Berenil (Hoechst, Germany) 3.5 mg/kg body weight at 4 weeks post-infection. The packed cell volume (PCV) continued to fall from a mean 30.73 ± 0.01% pre-infection to a mean 13.21 ± 0.18% at 1 week post-treatment. Deaths were recorded for 4 of the infected goats 1 week post-treatment while the remaining two died 2 weeks post-treatment, not responding to treatment.

Effect of Ecotype on Semen Characteristics of Sahel Goats in Borno State

Effect of Ecotype on Semen Characteristics of Sahel Goats in Borno State

Performances laitières et pondérales de la chèvre du Sahel burkinabé en régime de complémentation basé sur l’utilisation des ressources alimentaires locales

En matière de production laitière, en plus des apports indispensables en nutriments protéiques et énergétiques, il est nécessaire que les animaux aient leurs besoins couverts en certains principes minéraux. Pour aborder cette problématique, 32 chèvres du Sahel burkinabé de troisième lactation et d’âge variant entre 4 ans et 4 ans et demi ont été réparties en quatre lots, afin d’évaluer l’impact de quatre rations de complémentation isoazotées, formulées à base de son local et de fanes de niébé, et différant entre elles par des valeurs de rapports matières azotées digestibles/unité fourragère (122, 122, 133 et 153 respectivement pour les lots 1, 2, 3 et 4) et concentré/fourrage (1,27, 1,27, 0,5 et 0 respectivement pour les lots 1, 2, 3 et 4). Le lot 1, comparativement au lot 2, a reçu, en plus de la complémentation isoazotée, une complémentation minérale ad libitum. La production laitière et les performances pondérales des chèvres ainsi que celles de leurs petits ont été suivies pendant 13 à 14 semaines. L’incorporation plus importante de concentré (son local) n’a pas eu d’effet significatif sur la production laitière des chèvres. Cependant, il a été relevé globalement que l’apport de concentré a permis un accroissement de 11 p. 100 de la production totale journalière (quantité traite + quantité consommée par le chevreau). Cette augmentation a été de plus de 40 p. 100 lorsque a été considérée la quantité de lait traite. L’apport du complément minéral aux chèvres du lot 1 a eu une incidence significativement positive (P &lt; 0,05) sur la production laitière de ces dernières, avec en moyenne par animal et par jour, une quantité de lait traite de 358 ± 62 g contre 267 ± 70, 215 ± 32 et 197 ± 76 g respectivement pour les lots 2, 3 et 4. La composition en extrait sec, matières grasses (MG), matières protéiques (MP) et matières minérales du lait n’a pas été significativement influencée par les rations de complémentation. Néanmoins, les laits obtenus des lots 2, 3 et 4 ont été relativement plus riches en MG et MP. Le lait des chèvres du lot 1 a été significativement plus concentré en lactose : 4,35 p. 100 contre 3,9, 3,8 et 3,6 p. 100 respectivement pour les lots 2, 3 et 4. Les gains moyens quotidiens (gmq) des mères ont été de + 7,6 ± 15,9, – 18,3 ± 3,3, – 26,3 ± 31,1 et – 23,7 ± 16,2 g respectivement pour les lots 1, 2, 3 et 4. Les gmq de leurs petits ont été de 50,7 ± 17,3, 46,5 ± 22,5, 39,1 ± 16,6 et 36,8 ± 14,2 g respectivement pour les chevreaux appartenant aux lots 1, 2, 3 et 4. L’indice de consommation évalué a donné des valeurs de 11,1 ± 3,9, 11,6 ± 1,7, 13,2 ± 2,0 et 13,9 ± 2,2 respectivement pour les petits des lots 1, 2, 3 et 4. L’étude a montré qu’avec une bonne combinaison des ressources alimentaires locales l’on pouvait améliorer de façon importante la production laitière de la chèvre Sahélienne en saison sèche. Cette amélioration devient significative s’il y a association d’une complémentation minérale.

Effect of pregnancy on some biochemical parameters in Sahel goats in semi-arid zones.

The effects of pregnancy on some biochemical parameters were studied using 20 sexually mature, cycling goats with weight range 20-25 kg. They were randomly separated into two groups of 10 animals each. In one group, oestrus was detected while going round with a buck in the morning and evening; a single buck on detection of oestrus mated the does and the does were tagged as pregnant after confirmation of non-return of oestrus. The other group was kept cycling and tagged as non-pregnant. The mean serum glucose concentration in pregnant does was 63.35 +/- 7.70 mg/dl, significantly lower than 71.59 +/- 1.14 mg/dl for non-pregnant does (p < 0.05); the mean serum cholesterol concentrations were 79.48 +/- 14.93 for pregnant and 67.29 +/- 1.10 for non-pregnant does, with significant difference (p < 0.05). Protein (g/dl), urea (mg/dl), creatinine (mg/dl) and free fatty acid (microequiv/L) remained unchanged between the two groups (p > 0.05), as did the liver enzymes (ALT, AST). Therefore this study showed that low serum glucose and high cholesterol levels are features of mid to late pregnancy in Sahel goats.

Effects of gastrointestinal helminth infections and plane of nutrition on the health and productivity of F1 (West African Dwarf × Sahelian) goat crosses in The Gambia

A two by two factorial design including natural helminth infections (dewormed ‘D’ or not dewormed ‘ND’) and different levels of diet (basal ‘B’ or basal diet plus supplement ‘S’) was used to assess the effect of helminth infections and plane of nutrition on health and productivity of F1 (West African Dwarf (WAD) × Sahelian) crosses. The pasture composed the basal diet and supplemented animals received cottonseed and rice bran. Feed composition analysis revealed that the pasture did not provide sufficient nutrients for reproduction requirements. Feed supplementation had a significant effect on weight gain of does during pregnancy and lactation, and milk off-take was significantly higher in supplemented does compared to non-supplemented ones (31.3±2.5 l versus 17.7±2.5 l respectively, P<0.01). A peri-parturient rise in strongyle egg output was noted, and diet supplementation tended to reduce faecal egg count and to increase packed cell volume (PCV), mainly during the dry season. Deworming had a significant effect on red blood cell (RBC) count, PCV and haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, mainly during the period of peak strongyle egg output (season × deworming: P<0.001 for RBC and PCV and P<0.05 for Hb). Helminth infections combined with a basal diet seriously affected weight gain but the interaction of deworming and diet was not significant. In groups receiving the basal diet, dewormed animals had a significantly higher milk yield than those that were not dewormed (23.5±3.3 l versus 12.0±3.7 l, respectively; interaction diet × deworming: P<0.05). The higher daily weight gains of offspring born from dewormed does might be explained by the fact that, in addition to the effect of deworming on milk yield in animals receiving basal diet, the kids were less exposed to helminth eggs, whereas does that were not dewormed constituted a greater source of helminth infection for their kids.