The season of delivery, litter size and body measurement in Boer goats
2007
Hirakawa, M.(Ryukyu Univ., Nishihara, Okinawa (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture) | Arasaki, Y. | Sunagawa, K. | Shinjo, A.
Eight female and six male Boer goats were imported from the USA in 1999 to improve Okinawa meat goats. Boer goats bred in Okinawa were investigated to ascertain delivery season, number per litter, morphogenetic characteristics and body measurement. Both Boer goats and Okinawa meat goats had a peak delivery period ranging from January to April. There was no difference between the two groups. The Boer goats had a shortened breeding season and there were no kids delivered from August to October. On the other hand, Okinawa meat goats had a low delivery rate from May to December and exhibited slow but constant breeding throughout the year. Average litter sizes of Boer and Okinawa meat goats were 1.6 and 2.0, respectively. The coat color of the Boer goats was white with a brown face, neck and horns. The animals had no wattles. However, the supernumerary teats and beard of the female goats were variable. The average body weight, withers height, chest girth and shoulder point width in females and males were 44.7, 67.7 kg; 66.6, 76.3cm; 84.8, 91.3cm; 19.7, 23.0 cm, respectively. The phenotypic correlations were calculated between every possible pair of thirteen traits in both the females and males. Significantly high correlations between body weight and chest girth, and chest width and hip width were obtained.
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