Fiber growth of goats as influenced by the doe’s genotype, plane of nutrition and physiological stage (gestation and lactation)

Abstract

The aim of this thesis was to investigate how fiber growth of goats is determined by genotype, (purebred Angora and crossbred between Angora and Boer goat), physiological stages of the females from mid pregnancy until fifty days after the kids had been weaned and the plane of nutrition. Twelve Angora (pure bred) and ten Angora x Boer goat doe's with an initial mass of 28.70±4.42, between three and five years of age were used. Half of them received 120% NRC energy requirements and the other half received 80% requirements. Mohair patches of 100cm2 were collected from the animals at parturition, mid-lactation, weaning and fifty days post weaning. The fiber greasy weight started declining with commencement of lactation in crossbred animals of both high and low nutrition. The greasy mass again increased from the period of weaning until fifty days post weaning suggesting that crossbred animals do not produce a lot of fiber at the expense of fetal and kid growth. Since fiber production from the crossbred animals is lower, I recommend that the Angora genotype be increased to gain more fiber and further research be done on the topic.