Comparative analysis of partial suckling and artificial dairy kid rearing systems

Abstract

Forty kids aged 1 - 1.5 months and weighing 2.5 - 8 kg were randomly allocated to two: treatments, treatment. 1 (Bucket feeding system, BFS) and treatment 2 (partial suckling system, PSS). One half (10 males, 10 females) was allocated to BFS and the other half to PSS. Breed composition of the experimental animal was 20 kids Norwegian x local crosses and 20 Galla goats. The BFS does were milked twice per day (06: 30 h and 16: 30 h) while PSS does were milked only once per day (16:30 h). Milk yield and surplus (marketable) milk were measured daily for 9 weeks of lactation and kids were weighed weekly during the same period. BFS does produced significantly (P<0.05) higher milk yield (414.96 ± 13.48 g/day) than PSS does (179.23 ± 84.24 g/day. Considering surplus milk, PSS does produced significantly (P<0.05) higher than BFS does which could not even produce enough to feed their kids. The study also showed that crossbred does gave significantly (P<0.01) higher daily milk yield and surplus milk in each treatment compared with Galla does. The kids under PSS had a significantly (P<0.01) better growth rate (42.34 ± 5.46 g/day) than BFS kids (3.92 ± 8.02 g/day) and crossbred kids grew significantly (P<0.05) better (40.09 ± 6.63 g/day) than Galla kids (6.17 ± 7.09g/day). The Gross Margin Analysis (GMA) showed that PSS has a higher gross margin (Shs. 46, 024.9) than BFS (Shs. - 153,825.20). It was concluded that PSS is a better system in terms of surplus (marketable) milk and growth of kids compared with BFS.

Keywords: Bucket feeding, partial suckling, goat kids

Tanzania J.Agric.Sc. (2005) Vol.6 No.2, 92-98