Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXIII, Issue 2
Written by Houda EL KHEYYAT, Saïd EL MADIDI
One of the main sources of income for the rural argan grove population in the Agadir region is goat farming, and it is almost exclusively geared towards meat production. The goat herd is often led extensively where the rangelands are the main source of food. The objective of this study is to assess the variability in growth performance of kids of the main local breeds. Increasing the production of this herd requires improving the technical level of farms and the selection of individuals with good growth performance. The evaluation of the variability of growths was analyzed on 341 kids (167 males and 183 females). The data presented are adjusted for the factors of variation: litter size, sex of the kid, season of birth, age of the mother, birthing rank and breed of the mother. The birth weights, 10 days, 30 days and at 70 days are respectively 1.98 ± 0.32 kg, 2.61 ± 0.47 kg, 3.75 ± 0.74 kg and 5.45 ± 1.26 kg. The average daily gains (ADG 0-30 d) and (ADG 30-70 d) are 63.38 ± 6.68g and 43.99 ± 4.26g respectively. The local goat population studied is characterized by great variability for the measured growth parameters. The results of the Anova (GLM model) revealed differences between the different local breeds and revealed the influence of certain factors of variation analyzed on the growth of kids. Better control of the technical management of farms and selection of the best brood stock are necessary to have a better productivity.
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