The effect of the time of weaning on body mass and gain of kids
2009
Memisi, N., AD Mlekara, Subotica (Serbia) | Zujovic, M., Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade - Zemun (Serbia) | Tomic, Z., Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade - Zemun (Serbia) | Petrovic, M.P., Institute for Animal Husbandry, Belgrade - Zemun (Serbia)
A group control system experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of weaning time of kids on their health status and growth rate achieved up to 6 months of age. The experiment was done on kids obtained from crossbred Domestic White x Domestic Balkan goats and Alpino bucks. Investigations were done on a total 120 kids, divided into 4 groups. Kids were weaned at 2 (Group 1), 20 (Group 2), 35 (Group 3), and 60 (Group 4), days. After weaning, kids in Group 1 and Group 2 were fed milk replacer containing 22% protein up to 35 days of age, while Group 3 and Group 4 were fed concentrates and hay. The lowest body weight, both by individual control period, and at the end of experiment, was established for kids in Group 2, weaned at 20 days of age. They also had the highest mortality. The highest body weight at this age (180 days) was found in kids in Group 4, weaned at 60 days. Established results permit the conclusion that kids can successfully be weaned as early as 35 days of age, and that weaning at an earlier age should not be done under our conditions, since it is not economically justified.
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