Meat production from female goat kids compared with males

1999 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. H. A. EL MUOLA ◽  
S. A. BABIKER ◽  
O. A. EL KHIDIR ◽  
S. E. IBRAHIM

Twelve female desert goat kids and an equal number of males were used to study meat production potential of desert goats at Kuku Research Station, Khartoum North, Sudan. The kids were kept in two separate groups according to sex. Kids were fed ad libitum a complete diet (a concentrate mix and green lucerne) for 147 days from 12 July to 10 Oct 1997.Male kids consumed more dry matter, had significantly greater liveweight gain and had heavier slaughter weight and superior feed conversion efficiency than females. Carcass weight was significantly greater in males than females but females dressed out heavier than males. Male carcasses had more muscles and bone while female carcasses had more fat and trimmings.Male goat kid carcasses yielded significantly (P<0·001) heavier wholesale cuts as single short forequarter and neck while female kid carcasses yielded heavier wholesale cuts as leg and chump, best end of neck as well as significantly (P<0·01) heavier loin and breast.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel A Claffey ◽  
Alan G Fahey ◽  
Vasiliki Gkarane ◽  
Aidan P Moloney ◽  
Frank J Monahan ◽  
...  

Abstract Rations (DM basis) for spring-born male lambs consisting of concentrates ad libitum (CON), 50:50 (50% concentrate:50% forage), and forage ad libitum (FORG) were evaluated across feeding periods of three durations (36, 54, and 72 d). Lambs on CON diets were offered ad libitum access to concentrate along with 400 g of fresh weight silage (daily), while 50:50 diets were offered 0.9 and 3.0 kg of concentrate and silage, respectively. Lambs on FORG were offered ad libitum access to 25.5% DM silage. These rations were fed to 99 spring-born male Texel cross Scottish Blackface lambs which were assigned to a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement. Lambs were slaughtered following completion of their respective treatments. Lambs fed CON diets had greater ADG, FCE, and carcass weight (P &lt; 0.001) and carcasses with greater conformation score (P &lt; 0.001) than lambs fed 50:50 or FORG diets. Duration of feeding had no effect on production variables across all three concentrate inclusion levels. It was concluded that the inclusion of concentrates is needed to adequately finish lambs fed indoors. Feeding lamb’s 50:50 diets resulted in modest responses and may be a viable option for finishing lambs or to maintain growth in lambs when the cost of concentrate feed is high relative to the financial return on the lamb meat.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 531
Author(s):  
Januarius Gobilik ◽  
Stephen Todd Morris ◽  
Cory Matthew

Metabolic energy budgeting (MEB) was used to evaluate evolution over 30 years (1980–1981 to 2010–2011) in New Zealand southern North Island ‘hill country’ sheep and beef cattle systems. MEB calculates energy required by animals for body weight maintenance, weight gain or loss, pregnancy, and lactation to estimate the system feed demand and thereby provide a basis for calculating feed conversion efficiency. Historic production systems were reconstructed and modeled using averaged data from industry surveys and data from owners’ diaries of three case-study farms and reviewed for patterns of change over time. The modeling indicated that pasture productivity was 11% lower and herbage harvested was 14% lower in 2010–2011 than in the early 1980s. This productivity decline is attributable to warmer, drier summer weather in recent years. However, primarily through increased lambing percentage, feed conversion efficiency based on industry data improved over the study period from 25 to 19 kg feed consumed per kg lamb weaned, while meat production rose from 137 to 147 kg per ha per year. Similar improvements were observed for the three case farms. The New Zealand MEB model was found effective for analysis of tropical beef production systems in Sabah, Malaysia.


Author(s):  
A.L. Lightfoot ◽  
A.W. Armsby ◽  
C.F. Widdows

An experiment was carried out to determine which feeding method maximised feed intake of growing pigs and to record growth rates, feed conversion efficiency and backfat measurements. There is an increasing tendency for dry fed pigs to be fed ad libitum or to appetite in order to increase growth rates and throughput of building.Limited information is available on how the modern genetically improved pig will respond to high levels of feeding and whether ad libitum feeding will encourage higher feed intake than feeding to appetite either wet or dry.


Author(s):  
S.E. Pattinson ◽  
D.A.R. Davies ◽  
A.C. Winter

In the final 2 weeks of pregnancy there is a large increase in the protein requirement of the ewe for udder growth and colostrum production (Robinson, 1985). Ewe dry matter (DM) intakes fall during late pregnancy (Forbes, 1970) so meeting the theoretical requirements at this stage can be difficult.The trial was designed to compare the effect of providing the required protein on a flat-rate or a ‘step-up’ feeding system on lamb and colostrum production.Sixty-two Cambridge ewes aged 1 to 9 years and scanned as carrying 2 to 6 lambs were used. Ewes were housed and sheared approximately 2 months pre-partum and fed a complete diet at a restricted level and hay ad libitum until the commencement of the trial at 4 weeks pre-partum.


1980 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. CASTELL ◽  
K. E. BOWREN

One-hectare plots of two-row (Fairfield, Fergus and Klages) and six-row (Bonanza, Klondike and Peguis) barley cultivars were seeded on fallow. Seed yields, kg dry matter/ha, ranged from 4374 (Peguis) to 6425 (Fairfield) in 1977 and from 3028 (Klages) to 4871 (Fergus) in 1978. Protein (N × 6.25) contents were lower in 1977, 11.3 to 13.1 vs. 13.1 to 14.3% of dry matter. During the following winters, each cultivar was used as 87.5% of a standard diet fed ad libitum to eight pigs from approximately 25 to 93 kg liveweight. Within feeding trials I and II, growth rates (averaging 798 ± 19 and 786 ± 24 g/day, respectively), efficiencies of feed conversion (EFC) and carcass measurements were not significantly (P > 0.05) affected by cultivar. However, the trend for diets based on two-row cultivars to be superior in EFC was supported by their higher apparent digestibilities of energy (80.8 vs. 71.8%) and of nitrogen (73.5 vs. 65.7%) in the 1978 diets. A palatability study using these diets indicated the pigs’ preference for two-row over six-row barleys.


2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 645 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. E. Beever ◽  
P. T. Doyle

This paper focuses on dairy herd performance in the United Kingdom and southern Australia, where feed costs have been estimated to comprise between 40 and 67% of the total costs of production. The efficiency of conversion of grazed pasture, home grown forages and purchased feeds into milk has a major bearing on farm profit. Feed conversion efficiency (FCE), defined as ‘kg milk of standardised composition with respect to protein and fat concentrations produced per kg feed dry matter consumed’, is a useful measure of the performance of a farm feeding system, but is seldom used by dairy farmers. It could also be defined as ‘g protein plus fat produced per kg feed dry matter consumed’, given that farmers are often paid for these components. The value of estimating FCE on an annual or shorter-term basis is discussed in relation to accepted principles of feed utilisation and dairy cow energy requirements. The implications of feed intake, conversion of ingested nutrients into absorbed nutrients and the subsequent utilisation of these nutrients for milk production or other purposes, as well as the effects of stage of lactation on FCE, are reviewed. Measuring FCE and identifying opportunities for improvement is relatively straightforward in housed feeding systems, but is more problematic under grazing. Hence, approaches and the key assumptions in estimating FCE in grazing situations, as well as possible limitations of these estimates, are discussed. Finally, a case study examining the potential impact of improved nutritional strategies on FCE and on margin over feed costs is presented. It is concluded that, to remain profitable, dairy farmers need to have a sound knowledge of cow nutrition, along with appropriate measures of FCE to monitor the performance of their milk production system. Such indicators of the biological performance of the farming system are most useful when used in conjunction with appropriate measures of economic performance.


1991 ◽  
Vol 42 (8) ◽  
pp. 1373 ◽  
Author(s):  
HM Burrow ◽  
HM Burrow ◽  
B Gulbransen ◽  
B Gulbransen ◽  
SK Johnson ◽  
...  

Thirty-five steers and 37 heifers were grown at pasture and finished in a feedlot to meet Australian domestic market specifications, i.e. 160-200 kg carcass weight with 5-9 mm subcutaneous fat at the P8 rump site. The animals were from lines that had been selected for either high growth rate to 600 days (UPWT) or for low rectal temperature under conditions of high ambient temperatures (TEMP) and from a control line (CONT). They were slaughtered in six groups at fortnightly intervals when liveweight of individuals was estimated to satisfy market requirements. Animals from the UPWT line were heavier at all ages than animals from the TEMP and CONT lines (P< 0.05) and had higher liveweight gains at pasture (P < 0.01). There was no difference between the lines in liveweight gains in the feedlot. At the same carcass weight, UPM animals had leaner carcasses (P < 0.01) but similar levels of marbling to CONT line animals. TEMP line animals were also leaner than CONT line animals (P < 0.0l ) , but had more marbling (P<0.01). There was no significant difference between lines in feed conversion efficiency. Steers were heavier (P < 0.001) than heifers at all ages, grew faster (P < 0.001) except during the immediate post-castration period, had higher feed intakes (P < 0.05) but better feed conversion efficiencies (P < 0.05), and at the same carcass weight were leaner (P < 0-01) and had less marbling (P < 0.05). Meat colour, cooking loss, ultimate pH and meat tenderness did not differ significantly between lines or sexes. These results are discussed with reference to the use of selection for growth or heat resistance to improve growth and carcass traits of beef herds in tropical areas.


1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (6) ◽  
pp. 1111 ◽  
Author(s):  
RD Sainz ◽  
BJ Hosking ◽  
FJ Hart ◽  
BR Schricker

Forty-eight crossbred wether lambs (38 kg) were randomly assigned to two dietary groups (LUC, chaffed lucerne ad libitum; CSM, LUC plus 300 g cottonseed meal/lday) and two hormone treatment groups (rGRF, recombinant growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF); sGRF, synthetic GRF) plus controls (CON, excipient only), and slaughtered after treatment for 28 (n = 36) or 30 (n = 12) days. An initial slaughter group (n = 12) was killed on day 0. CSM reduced intake of lucerne chaff, but increased total feed intake. CSM also increased liveweight gain and wool growth, with no effect on feed conversion efficiency. CSM increased carcass weight and decreased subcutaneous fat depth, with no effect on dressing percentage or longissimus dorsi (LD) area. Meat tenderness tended to decrease with CSM supplementation. CSM increased carcass protein accretion ( P < 0.01), with no significant change in fat gain or final composition (P > 0.05). CSM increased weights of the pelt, liver and empty body, and decreased the proportion of digesta in liveweight. Weights of blood, forestomachs and small intestine tended to increase as well (P < 0.10). Both sources of GRF had similar effects. Intakes were not significantly affected by GRF, but feed conversion efficiency improved (P < 0.01) with GRF treatment (6.4 v. 9.2 feed:gain for GRF and CON respectively). Liveweight gains and final weights of the whole body and carcass were increased additively by CSM and GRF. GRF reduced fat depth and increased LD area, with no effect on dressing percentage, carcass length or meat tenderness. These changes reflected increased carcass protein and reduced fat contents, brought about by increased accretion of protein and water and reduced fat gain due to GRF. GRF increased weights of blood and liver beyond the general increase in body size. Cottonseed meal and GRF additively produced significant improvements in growth performance and carcass quality of young wether lambs fed a roughage diet. GRF may be a useful tool to improve livestock production under extensive and intensive conditions.


2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 789 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Santra ◽  
S. Parthasarathy ◽  
S. A. Karim

The efficacy of sodium laurel sulfate as a defaunating agent, as well as effect of defaunation on body confirmation changes, wool yield and fibre characteristics, were evaluated in growing lambs in a 90-day feeding experiment. Forty-five Malpura male weaner (90-day old) lambs were divided into three equal groups: defaunated, refaunated and faunated. The lambs of defaunated and refaunated groups were defaunated by oral administration of sodium laurel sulfate at the rate of 8 g/100 kg liveweight as a 10% aqueous solution. Six days after defaunation, all the lambs of the refaunated group were refaunated by inoculation of 100 mL rumen content per lamb drawn from a normal faunated sheep. All the experimental lambs were maintained under stall feeding on a complete feed containing 50 : 50 Pala (Ziziphus nummularia) leaf and concentrate. Treatments did not differ in intake of dry matter, digestible crude protein or digestible energy. Body height and paunch girth were greater (P < 0.01) in defaunated compared to refaunated and faunated lambs. With similar dry matter intake in the three experimental groups, liveweight gain, feed conversion efficiency and wool yield were higher (P < 0.01) in defaunated lambs. The wool fibre diameter and medullation percentage were higher (P < 0.01) in defaunated than refaunated and faunated lambs. It was concluded from the study that, with similar dry matter intake and plane of nutrition, the growth rate, feed conversion efficiency and wool yield were higher in defaunated lambs, as compared to refaunated and faunated lambs. Higher paunch girth in defaunated lambs resulted in a pot-bellied appearance of the animals.


1973 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Rutter

SUMMARYTwo experiments involving the sequential slaughter of intensively fattened store lambs were each carried out over a period of 12 weeks. In the first experiment the lambs were offered a concentrate diet ad libitum. In the second experiment they were offered swede turnips ad libitum with a limited amount of concentrates.In each experiment, similar groups of lambs were slaughtered at equal intervals in order to measure progressive changes in live weight, carcass weight and dry-matter intake. Carcass-weight gain as a proportion of live-weight gain was found to be 74% in the first experiment and 86% in the second experiment.


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