SOME PRODUCTION PARAMETERS OF FOUR BREEDS OF GOATS REARED IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO H. Harricharan, F.B. Lauckner and H. Ramlal* (Cgribbean Agricultural Research & Development Institute, U.W.I. Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad,.W.I.) SUMMARY Data on some production parameters were collected from four breeds of goats reared intensively on the Government Farm, St. Joseph, Trinidad. All animals were raised indoors. Kids were weaned from their dams within 24 hours of _birth, followed by bucket-feeding of whole goats' milk up to 12 weeks of age. In addition, the kids were fed on a commercial dairy ration and forages. The parameters determined for each breed were birth weight, weight at 12 weeks of age, average daily gain from birth to 12 weeks of age, sex ratios, prolificacy, breeding efficiency and mortality rates. The mean birth weight of Anglo Nubian, Saanen, Toggenburg, and British Alpine kids were 3.25, 2. 88,. 3.36 and 3.68 kg, respectively: Males weighed 3.37 kg and females 3.07 kg. The mean birth weight of singles, twins and triplets were 3.51, 3. 14 and 2.90 kg, respectively. The mean weight at 12 weeks of age were. 10.72, 11.47, 11.89 and 13.81 kg for Anglo Nubian, Saanen, Toggenbttrg and British Alpine, respectively. At the same age, males weighed 12.89 kg and females 10.21 kg. The 12-week weights. of singles, twins and triplets were .11.62, 11.32 and 10.90 kg, respectively. The average daily gain from birth to 12 weeks of age was 96g. The average number of kids born per doe per litter in the herd was 1.62. British Alpine females produced the smallest litters (1.42) and Toggenburgs the largest (1.66). At 12 weeks of age, the average number of kid.' weaned per doe per litter was 1.06 with a range of 0.71 to 1.25 for the herd. Kid mortality for the herd over the five-year period ranged from 8 to 53 per cent. The loss of kids in the herd averaged 32 per cent over the five-year period. Statistical analysis of the data indicated that the sex ratio in the herd was not significantly different from a 1:1. Introduction When feeding and management are improved, the goat is a very Goats are raised primarily for productive animal. meat in the tropics and to a lesser Goat farming can be profitable extent for milk. They are very when management of the animal is adaptable to small farming enterprises directed towards improvement of and backyard farming conditions. production traits such as milk yield, These animals are good forages and can survive and produce under poor *Ministry of Agriculture, Lands & Food feeding and .mangement conditions. Production, Triaidad, W.I. .40 growth rate, litter size and towards a of age. The average daily gain was reduction in the mortality of kids and calculated from these weights. Type young adults. Unfortunately, there is of birth (i.e. single or multiple), sex very little published information on and mortality were also recorded. these production traits in goats in the Models using the available data Caribbean. on bodyweight and weight gain were The present study was therefore developed and analysed according to undertaken to evaluate data collected the method described by Nelder and from four breeds of goats so as to Wedderburn (1972) on the UWI ICL assess birth weight, weight at 12 ME29 Computer using the GUM system weeks of age, average daily gain from (Nelder, 1974). Chi square tests of birth to 12 weeks of age and significance were used in analyzing prolificacy and breeding efficiency of the remainder of the data. the breeds. Mortality from birth to 12 weeks of age and the sex ratios of Results and Discussion the species were also determined. The mean birth weight, 12 weeks birth Materials and Methods weight, average daily gain from to 12 weeks of age, sex and type of Data for the study was collected birth by breed are presented in Table from a herd comprising four breeds of 1. goats reared on the Government Farm Birth weight: The mean birth weight at St. Joseph, Trinidad, over a to be 3.21 5-year period from 1978 to 1982. of the 280 kids was 'found a rang& for breeds of During this period 280 kids were ± 0.04 kg with Alpine kids produced in 173 litters from 2.88 to 3.68 kg. British Saanen kids Anglo-Nubian , Toggenburg , Saanen were the heaviest and lightest. and Britrsh Alpine goats. These the There were no significant animals had been imported with a view differences in birthweight of to improving the production of meat (P 05) and Toggenburg and milk from the local Criollo the Anglo Nubian breeds. kids. The animals were reared indoors Variations in birth weight throughout the year and were fed between breeds are due mainly to grass ad libitum and a commercial genetic factors and differences* in the• of dairy ration. Kids were separated birth weight of different breeds from their dams within 24 hours of goats have been reported by Keeping birth and reared artificially in pens (1951) and Devendra (1962). in groups of two or three animals per The results of Table 1 indicate pen. Colostrum and whole goats' milk that male kids at birth were than were bucket-fed to the kids until significantly (P •‹. 0.01) heavier are they were 12 weeks of age. Grass and females by 0.30 kg. These results a commercial dairy ration were offered similar to those reported by Keeping exotic from the fourth week of age. At 12 (1951) and Devendra (1962) for weeks of age, whole milk was totally breeds of goats in Malaysia. Sacker (1980) withdrawn and concentrate ration was and Trail (1966) and All •males of indigenous increased to 454g per day and grass reported that the in Uganda and India was offered ad libitum. breeds of goats significantly The kids were dehorned when were on an average females at birth. two weeks old and deworned for the heavier than first time at 6 weeks of age. The differences in the birth Deworming was repeated at regular weight of kids born as singles and in intervals. those larger litters (triplets) were Birth weight of the kids was significant. (P 4.'0.01) (Table 1). Single kids recorded within 24 hours of birth and weighed 0.60 kg more than those they were weighed again at 12 weeks born as triplets and 0.37 .41 kg more than those born as triplets dams. This apparent conflict with the and 0.37 kg more than those born as results obtained in the present study twins. Differences in the birth weight may be attributed to the fact that the of kids born in small and large litters kids in this study were reared have been reported by Epstein and artificially in pens and fed Ilerz (1964) and Devendra and Blirns individually with approximately equal (1970). The latter authors have amounts of the same rations, thus summarised the results of a number of eliminating any advantages to be studies with similar findings. gained from the milking ability of the individual does. Weight at 12 weeks of. age: • The mean 12 weeks weight of 184 kids was Average daily gain from birth to 12 11.30 ± 0.17 kg with a range of 10.72 weeks of age: The mean daily gain of to 13.81 kg (Table 1). British Alpine the 184 kids from birth to 12 weeks kids were significantly (P z. 0.05) was 96 ± 2g (Table 1). heavier than those of the other British Alpine kids gained breeds. Anglo Nubian kids were the significantly (P < .01) faster than lightest.. There were no significant (P Anglo Nubian, Toggenburg and .>,0.05)differences in the 12 weeks Saanen kids. The Anglo Nubian kids weight of Saanen and Toggenburg made the slowest rate of gain per day kids. Devendra and Burns (1970) while the gain per day of Saanen and reported 12 weeks weight of Toggenburg kids was similar. indigenous breeds of goat in Malaysia The average 'daily gain of male to be lowerS than those found in the kids was significantly (P 4.0.01) present study. In The Bahamas, greater when compared to females. Wilson et al (1980) observed that the Wilson (1958) reported similar 90-day weaning weight of Anglo findings. As with average weight at Nubian and Anglo Nubian crossbred 12 weeks, type of birth had no kids reared with their dams on significant (P '7 0.05) effect on pasture were similar to those average daily gain of the kids. Kids observed in this study. born as singles had no advantage in At 12 weeks of age male kids average daily gain over those born as were significantly (P < 0.01) heavier triplets. The differences observed by than females. by an average of 2.68 Sacker • and Trail (1966) were not kg. Similar results have been detectable in the present study reported by Wilson (1958) and because the kids were reared Devendra (1966). In contrast, Ali artificially thus eliminating the (1980) observed that Black Bengal maternal effects of the individual female kids were heavier than the does. males from eighth to the thirteenth week of age. Prolificacy There was no significant (P > .05) differences in the Table 2 shows a distribution of the bodyweight of the kids at 12 weeks of number of litters and the number of age with respect to the type of birth kids born to each breed in the herd.