Reproductive and Early Growth Traits of Intensively Reared West African Dwarf (WAD) Kids in a Humid Tropical Environment

2016-02-27T23-59-58Z
Source: International Journal of Livestock Research
Paul Chidiebere Okafor, Cosmas Chikezie Ogbu, Hariet Ndofor-Foleng.
The objectives of the study were to evaluate the reproductive, early growth and linear body traits of WAD goats reared intensively. Twenty-five WAD goats (20 does and 5 bucks) aged 7-8 months (9.0 to 12.0kg bwt) were mated naturally (1 buck: 4 does) to generate the kids studied. Animals were managed intensively. Kids suckled their dams until weaning before being separated. Litter size at birth, sex of kid, body weight (BW) and linear body traits from birth to 6 months of age (moa), weaning weight (Wwt), and mortality from birth to 6moa were evaluated. Data collected were presented using descriptive statistics. Pearson correlation analysis was used to study the relationship between traits. Birth weight was 1.75 ± 0.06kg; litter size was 2.08 ± 0.11 while Wwt was 7.11 ± 0.11kg. Body weight at 2, 4, and 6moa ranged between 4.00 and 5.20kg, 6.10 and 8.20kg, and 9.00 and 12.00kg, respectively. Body weight gain (BWG) at 2, 4, and 6 moa was 48.26 ± 1.16g/day, 52.21 ± 1.24g/day, and 49.39 ± 1.27g/day, respectively. Growth rate from birth to weaning, weaning to 6moa, and birth to 6moa was 45.04 ± 0.80g/d, 51.82 ± 1.30g/d, and 47.15 ± 0.55g/d, respectively. Number of males/litter, number of kids weaned/litter and mortality/litter from birth to 6moa was 0.54 ± 0.08, 1.86 ± 0.13, and 0.39 ± 0.17, respectively. Body weight values at different ages were positively interrelated (P


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