Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Goat Kids Fed Roughages Supplemented with Concentrates

Abstract

Eighteen entire Nubian male kids were used in this study. The kids were divided randomly into two groups A and B and kept for an adaptation period of fourteen days during which they were fed alfalfa hay. During the experimental period which extended for 70 days, group A was fed roughage consisted of alfalfa hay supplemented with a concentrated ration composed of 48% wheat bran, 30% sorghum grain, 20% groundnut cake, 1% salt and 1% limestone. While group B was fed on roughage only which was alfalfa hay. Kids performance indicated that the overall rate of weekly weight gain was 0.129 and 0.114 kg, for the kids fed on roughage or roughage supplemented with concentrates, respectively. The difference was not significant. Kids fed on roughage ration only consumed 29.06 kg dry matter to gain one kilogram live-weight compared to 30.79 for those fed on roughage plus concentrates. The difference in feed conversion ratio was not significant. The roughage supplemented with concentrate diet produced significant increase in dressing percentage on both full and empty body weight bases. The dietary levels did not produce any significant effect on muscular tissue percentage which was 54.08 and 54.13 for roughage and roughage plus concentrates rations. The group on roughage supplemented with concentrates tended to deposit more fat in their carcass 4.42% compared to 2.57% of the group on roughage only. Muscle: bone ratio was not significantly different between the two kid groups. Dissection of commercial joints indicated that kids on roughage supplemented with concentrates had a slightly more muscle, less bone and significantly higher percentage of fat compared to those on roughage only.