Growth and development of pre-ruminant kid goats of the Granadina breed. Use of a milk replacer determining maximum feed intake
1997
Sanz Sampelayo, M.R. | Allegretti, L. | Gil Extremera, F. | Boza, J. (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Granada (Spain). Estacion Experimental del Zaidin, Dept. de Nutricion Animal)
An experiment was conducted in an attempt to produce kid goats of the Granadina breed with appropriate growth and development. They were fed during their first two months of life on a milk replacer whose nutritional composition and dry matter concentration had been selected to maximise feed intake. The utilisation of the milk replacer was determined by balance trials. The experimental animals were slaughtered on the day following the end of the experimental period. There were not significant effects of age on component digestibilities. The mean growth rates (g/day) and feed conversion ratios (kg dry matter/kg bodyweight gain) of the animals were: 162.2 and 1.18 and, 197.0 and 1.59 in the first and second months of life, respectively. The metabolizable energy intakes obtained during the same first two months of life were: 1244 and 1050 kJ/kg0.75 per day. The percentages of dry matter, fat, protein and ash in the empty bodyweight and in the carcass of the animals were: 37.91 and 38.56; 45.20 and 43.24; 48.88 and 45.77 and, 8.41 and 11.32, respectively. The growth and fattening obtained resulted superior to those obtained for similar animals fed on either a milk replacer with a different composition to that used here or a milk replacer with a lower dry matter concentration. The results obtained seem to confirm that in 0-2 months old Granadina kid goats, the achievement of relatively high energy intake can produce high growth rates and excellent body composition, especially as far as the degree of fattening is concerned.
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