Evaluation of some factors influencing growth performance of local goats in Nigeria

Abstract

This study was conducted at the Research Farm of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
University, Bauchi, Nigeria to investigate some factors (breed, season, parity, sex,
litter size and body condition score) affecting kids' growth performance at various
ages. The daily weight gain (overall) of kids reveals non-significant breed effect
whereas season, parity, sex, litter size and body condition score had significant
(P<0.05) effects on the kids' daily weight gain. Kids born in the dry season had higher
daily weight gain (98.95 + 4.65g) than those born in the wet season (88.15 + 5.31g).
Similarly, kids born in the second (90.58 + 3.71g) and third (88.28 + 11.31g) parities
gained higher weights daily than kids in the first (86.80 + 3.25g) parity. There were
significant (P<0.05) sex and litter size effects on kids' daily weight gain. The male
kids had higher daily weight gain than their female counterparts with respective
values of 92.94 + 5.06 and 84.16 + 5.46g. Similarly, kids born single gained higher
(90.06 + 4.03g) daily weights than those born as twins (87.04 + 6.58g). Kids from
does with body condition score 4 had the highest (91.61+ 6.61g) daily weight gain
followed by 3 (89.37 + 5.37g) and least value was observed in does with score 2
(84.67 + 4.95g). Kids' weights at various ages (birth, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days)
showed significant (P<0.05) differences except for the effects of litter size (at birth,
60,90 and 120 days) and sex (at 30, 60 and 120 days of life). Similarly, kids' mean
daily weight gains at various age intervals (birth – 30, 31- 60, 61- 90 and 91- 120
days) also showed significant (P<0.05) differences in these factors except for the
effects of breed (at 61-90 days), sex (at birth – 60 days), litter size ( 61-10 days) and
parity ( 31-120 days of life). It is, therefore, concluded that large body size, good body
condition, dry season, birth of male kid and single birth and high parity resulted in
higher postnatal kid weight and daily weight gain. The Sahel goats are more
promising than the other breeds in terms of their growth performance. Improvement
of these breeds can be made through crossbreeding with better local or exotic breed.
However, these local breeds can be successfully used for quality meat production and
supply at an early stage of their life.

Keywords: Goats, age, daily weight gain

AJFAND Vol. 8 (4) 2008: pp. 465-479