RReevviieeww ooff LLiitteerraattuurree
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II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The information on morphological, production, reproduction parameters and
management practices as well as prediction of body weight of goats available in
literature on different goat breeds is reviewed here.
2.1 Morphological features of goats
2.1.1 Coat colour
Coat colour in Jamunapari goats was observed as follows; 4.3% were completely
white, while among the remaining animals with predominantly white colour, 87.8% of
white animals had either brown, dark brown, fawn patches on neck, ears and around eyes
and 7.9% white animals had black and black fawn patches (Bhat, 1988 a).
In Barbari goats, 46.8% had brown spotting against white background, 2.9% solid
brown, 18.1% had brown colour on face, dark brown on neck, back, thigh and limbs,
12.7% had fawn colour and 0.32% white (Bhat 1988 b).
In Sangamneri breed, Misra and Koratkar (1994) reported that 60% were
completely black, 4% were brown and 1% were white, while Verma et al. (2008)
observed complete white coat colour with admixtures of black and brown.
Kodi Adu goats of Tamil Nadu showed predominantly white hair coat with
splashes of black or red colour (Jain et al., 2000). Berari goats of Maharashtra showed
four colour patterns: black, red and combined accounted for 75% while remaining were
white (Ali et al., 2004).
In Marwari goats, the coat colours were observed to be black, brown, white,
black & white, black & brown and brown & white in 71.66, 6.08, 7.91, 8.66, 4.61 and
1.08 per cent, respectively (Gahlot et al., 2004). Pathodiya et al. (2004 a) reported
predominantly light to dark brown coat colour in Sirohi goats of Rajasthan.
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Coat colour in Malabari goat breed of Kerala was reported to be mainly white
and black or white and brown (65%) by Raghavan et al. (2004) while Verma et al. (2007
b) observed complete white to complete black animals. Rao and Patro (2004) observed
brown and black coat colour in Ganjam goats of Orissa and black coat colour in Bengal
type goats of Orissa.
Coat colour patterns in Chegu goats of Himachal Pradesh were observed to be
pure white (26.22%), reddish brown/ tan (12.28%), pure black (14.12%), admixture of
tan and white (18.14%) and black and white (18.06 %) by Thakur (2004). The coat
colour varied from black, fawn and white in Chaugarkha goat breed of Uttaranchal
(Barwal et al., 2007).
Verma et al. (2007 a) observed the coat colour in Gohilwadi goats to be
uniformly black. Surti breed of goats of Gujarat showed varied colour patterns viz.
white, black, tan, coffee color, and grayish (Dixit et al., 2008).
Gopu et al. (2008) observed black coat colour in Salem Black goats of Tamil
Nadu. Beetal breed of goat revealed 72.35, 5.52 and 22.12 percent of black, brown and
black/ brown with white patches respectively (Maroof Ahmad et al., 2008 b).
In indigenous goats of Keonjhar district of Orissa the coat colours were brown,
black, white and mixture of black, brown & white in the proportion of 47.57, 29.13, 5.10
and 10.20 per cent respectively (Singh Bariah et al., 2008). Coat colour was
predominantly yellowish brown in Pallai Adu breed of goat of Tamil Nadu
(Ravimurugan et al., 2008).
2.1.2 Skin colour
Skin colour in Jamunapari goats was observed as; 56% grey, 31.8% white, 4.9%
grey with white patches, 4.9% white with grey patches and 0.58% black (Bhat, 1988 a),
while in Barbari the skin colour was brown in 35.3%, light brown in 15.9%, dark brown
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in 4.14%, white in 21%, pink in 19%, light pink in 6.37% and black in 0.95% (Bhat,
1988 b). Patel et al. (2007) reported the skin colour as mainly brown in Parbatsari goat
of Rajasthan.
2.1.3 Muzzle colour
The muzzle colour in Jamunapari goats were reported to be 86.8% black, 7.4%
brown and 3.2% white (Bhat, 1988 a), 33.4% brown, 22.3% brown with black pigment,
10% light brown with black pigment, 4.7% pink, 2.9% light brown, 0.95% white, 3.82%
black and 0.64% light black in Barbari (Bhat, 1988 b), black in Gohilwadi goats
(Verma et al., 2007 a), grayish black to black, pink and light brown in Surti
(Dixit et al., 2008) and black in Sangamneri goats (Verma et al., 2008).
2.1.4 Eyelids colour
The eyelids colour was observed to be of two types, light and dark brown, in
Parbatsari goat of Rajasthan (Patel et al., 2007), while it was black in Gohilwadi goats
(Verma et al., 2007 a) and pink in Sangamneri goats (Verma et al., 2008).
2.1.5 Hoof colour
Hoof colour was grayish black to black, pink and light brown in Surti breed of
goats (Dixit et al., 2008) and grey in Sangamneri goat (Verma et al., 2008).
2.1.6 Horns
Horned/ non polled male or females were observed in Jamunapari (Bhat, 1988 a),
Salem Black (Gopu et al., 2008) and Malabari goats (Raghavan et al., 2004). Similarly
both the sexes in Kodi Adu were horned with average length of 19.0 ± 1.16 cm in males
and 12.6 ± 0.48 cm in females (Jain et al., 2000). The horn length in Sirohi was 15 ± 2.4
cm (Pathodiya et al., 2004 a), 9.68 to 9.78 cm in Marwari breed (Gahlot et al., 2004).
The horn length was reported to vary between 10 and 50 cm in Chegu goats of Himachal
Pradesh (Thakur, 2004), and between 7 and 10 cm in Parbatsari goat of Rajasthan (Patel
8
et al., 2007). Singh Bariah et al. (2008) reported horn length in indigenous goats of
Keonjhar district of Orissa to be 8.89 ± 0.05 in males and 8.52 ± 0.04 cm in females.
Verma et al. (2007 c) described Jakhrana breed and reported the horn length in
males at 3 months, 6 months and adult age as 4.02 ± 0.54, 6.06 ± 0.29 and 12.85 ± 1.50
cm respectively while the respective measurements in females were 2.34 ± 0.14, 4.50 ±
0.42 and 9.41 ± 0.34 cm respectively. Dixit et al. (2008) reported horns of Surti breed of
goats measuring from small size (3 cm) to long (23cm) and which were grayish black
and curved backward. Verma et al. (2008) observed that the Sangamneri goats of
Maharashtra had horns that are grey in colour, thin and small orienting upward and
backward.
2.1.7 Ears
In Jamunapari goats, ears were long, folded and drooping in males measuring
between 16 and 37 cm and in females between 23 and 35 cm (Bhat, 1988 a). In Kodi
Adu goat breed of Tamil Nadu, the ears were medium in size, curved forward and
slightly drooping but alert with average length of 15.27 ± 0.10 cm in (Jain et al., 2000).
The ear length in Sirohi goats at birth, 3 months and 6 months of age were 12.10
± 0.16, 15.88 ± 0.26 and 17.37 ± 0.32 cm respectively (Tomar et al., 2001), whereas in
the sane breed, Pathodiya et al., (2004 a) observed the ears to be pendulous drooping
downwards, slightly curved towards back with length ranging between 12-20 cm.
Size of the ears varied from small, medium to long with values of 12.56, 46.02
and 17.8 per cent respectively in Berari goat of Maharashtra (Ali et al., 2004). Ears were
flat, drooping and medium in length measuring 17.87 ± 0.22 cm in females and 18.40 ±
0.65 cm in males in Marwari breed (Gahlot et al., 2004).
Malabari goat breed of Kerala had long ears (Raghavan et al., 2004) and had
average length 13.47 cm in kids and 18.22 cm in adults (Verma et al., 2007 b). The ear
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lengths in Chaugarkha goat breed of Uttaranchal were 13.73 ± 0.1 cm in females and
13.55 ± 0.17 cm in males (Barwal et al., 2007).
Ears were pendulous with average length of 17.3 and 23.3 cm in females and
males respectively in Parbatsari goat of Rajasthan (Patel et al., 2007), 19.89 ± 0.61 cm
long in males and 19.25 ± 0.14 cm long in females in Zalawadi goats (Singh et al., 2007
g), tubular and drooping measuring 17.49 cm in Gohilwadi goats (Verma et al., 2007 a),
broad and pendulous in Bareilly goats (Das, 2008), pendulous and small (7cm) to long
(29cm) in Surti goats (Dixit et al., 2008), long and drooping in Sangamneri goat (Verma
et al., 2008) and 14.47 ± 0.02 and 13.36 ± 0.03 cm long in males and females,
respectively, in indigenous goats of Keonjhar district of Orissa (Singh Bariah et al.,
2008).
Verma et al. (2007 c) described Jakhrana breed and reported ear length at one
month as 17.88 ± 0.42 cm. In males the ear lengths at 3 months, 6 months and adult were
18.95 ± 0.33, 20.96 ± 0.63 and 22.72 ± 2.39 cm respectively while the respective values
in females were 17.38 ± 1.63, 18.41 ± 1.04 and 20.02 ± 0.44 cm.
Maroof Ahmad et al. (2008 b) reported that Beetal breed of goat had long sized
and flat ears. The mean ear lengths were found to be 14.69 ± 0.31, 17.96 ± 0.09, 19.58 ±
0.12 and 21.03 ± 0.55 cm in male and 14.54 ± 040, 16.95 ± 0.11, 18.46 ± 0.17 and 20.08
± 0.72 cm in female while corresponding values for ear width were estimated as 6.83 ±
0.09, 7.78 ± 0.01, 8.28 ± 0.03 and 8.74 ± 0.14 cm (male) and 6.78 ± 0.08, 8.08 ± 0.13,
8.17 ± 0.10 and 8.56 ± 0.17 cm (female) at birth, 1,2 and 3-month of age respectively.
2.1.8 Forehead
Convex forehead was observed in Malabari goat breed of Kerala (Raghavan et
al., 2004), Sangamneri goat of Maharashtra (Verma et al., 2008) while Chegu goats of
Himachal Pradesh had concave forehead with tapering face and muzzle (Thakur, 2004),
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Face length at one month in Jakhrana breed was 12.35 ± 0.19 cm. In males the
face length at 3 months, 6 months and adult were 15.16 ± 0.47, 17.01 ± 0.53 and 21.50 ±
0.86 cm respectively while the values in females were 14.96 ± 0.23, 16.33 ± 1.58 and
18.85 ± 0.33 cm respectively (Verma et al., 2007 c). The head length in males and
females were 21.58 ± 0.19 and 20.94 ± 0.08 cm respectively in indigenous goats of
Keonjhar district of Orissa (Singh Bariah et al., 2008).
Maroof Ahmad et al. (2008 b) described Beetal breed of goat. The mean nasal
bridge circumference in male kids was estimated to be 16.82 ± 0.11, 18.57 ± 0.14, 20.68
± 0.09 and 22.35 ± 0.12 cm at birth, 1, 2 and 3-month of age while the corresponding
values in females were 16.42 ± 0.11, 18.73 ± 0.16, 19.58 ± 0.14 and 20.84 ± 0.17 cm.
2.1.9 Beard and Wattles
In Jamunapari goats, beard was observed in 88.6% of males and 52.8% of
females but no wattles and tussels (Bhat, 1988 a). Beard and wattles were present in
varying proportions of 28.39 to 42.85% and 10.12 to 17.33% respectively in Marwari
breed (Gahlot et al., 2004), while in Malabari goats, only 12% had tussels and 6.24%
were bearded (Raghavan et al., 2004) and 20% males and females had beard (Verma et
al., 2007 b). Beard is present in both sexes while wattles are present only in few animals
in Chegu goats of Himachal Pradesh (Thakur, 2004). In Sirohi goats 21.5% animals
showed wattles while 7.5% males showed beard (Patel et al., 2007). Beard was observed
among 45% of males and 22% of females with tussels in 89% of males and 76% of
females in Salem Black goats of Tamil Nadu (Gopu et al., 2008). Ten percent of animals
(Male and females) had beard with only 2 % showing wattles in Sangamneri goat of
Maharashtra (Verma et al., 2008).
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2.1.10 Tail
Tails were short ranging between 10-21 cm in Jamunapari goats (Bhat, 1988 a),
medium sized and thin with average length of 17.19 ± 0.22 cm in Kodi Adu breed (Jain
et al., 2000), small and thin in Marwari (Gahlot et al., 2004), short and curled in Sirohi
goats (Pathodiya et al., 2004 a), short (10-12 cm) and straight in Chegu goats (Thakur,
2004), with a length of 16.4 cm in Parbatsari (Patel et al., 2007), and small, thin and
measuring 10.40 cm in kids and 16.28 cm in adults in Malabari (Verma et al., 2007 b). In
Beetal breed of goat the mean tail length at birth, 1, 2 and 3-month of age in kids was
found to be 10.47 ± 0.06, 12.76 ± 0.18, 13.94 ± 0.14 and 15.73 ± 0.15 cm in males and
9.92 ± 0.08, 11.87 ± 0.15, 13.04 ± 0.12 and 14.16 ± 0.13 cm in females respectively
(Maroof Ahmad et al., 2008 b).
2.2 Management practices
In a study of Sangamneri breed, Misra and Koratkar (1994), reported average
herd size to be 20 and ranging between 3 and 60 of which 62.5% were adults. Fifty two
percent goat rearers maintained 5 - 15, 29% maintained 16-25 and only 3.5% maintained
more than 40 goats. The marginal farmers maintained their goats under browsing and
stubble grazing, with the women and children looking after the goats. Verma et al.
(2008) observed that the Sangamneri goat, a dual-purpose breed, was mainly maintained
on stall feeding.
Jain et al. (2000) reported for Kodi Adu goats that about 20% farmers kept them
in open, 60% in both open and closed houses while the rest 20% in closed space which
was generally part of the owners’ dwelling. The herds were generally stationary.
Marwari goat of Rajasthan and Gujarat were well adapted to harsh climates of
semi-arid zone and are reared under extensive system of trans-migratory system (Gahlot
et al., 2004). The flock size varying from 5 - 100 animals, the kids: adult ratio varied
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from 25:75 to 40:60, and the flocks were generally stationary but migrated during
scarcity of fodder (Dixit et al., 2007).
Pathodiya et al. (2004 a) reported that Sirohi goats of Rajasthan were housed in
open and closed houses equally with kaccha roof and floor, a few goat keepers had own
land while 97.16% used community land for grazing. Ganjam goats of Orissa were
maintained under extensive system and only on browsing (Rao and Patro, 2004).
Rout et al. (2007) described for Jamunapari that herds were usually kept under
extensive system with 7-12 hours of foraging in the ravines. Herd size was up to 16
females with varying number of kids. Housing was small barn or hut sometimes made of
mud or bricks. The animals were subjected to vigorous browsing in winter for 94% of
the time spent whereas only 55% of the time was spent on browsing during summer.
Flock size of Beetal goats varied from 6-32 adults with breeders (Safeer Alam et
al., 2007). Verma et al. (2007 b) observed that the Malabari goats of Kerala were
intensively managed with houses made of bamboos and sticks and the floor was of
bamboos and planks at a height of 2 feet from the ground.
Verma et al. (2007 c) observed in Jakhrana breed that the flock size varied from
5-100 animals, the kids: adult ratio varying from 20:80 to 30:70. The flocks were
generally stationary with some farmers following stall feeding and the animals were kept
in open housing system during day and closed housing at nights. While, Rai et al. (2001
a) observed that Jakhrana breed was extensively reared and were mostly housed in
thatched roofing.
The proportion of farmers raising Beetal goats under extensive and semi-
intensive management systems was estimated as 82.5 and 17.5 percent respectively. In
its breeding tract it was observed that 89% farmers had separate goat houses whereas
11% provided shelter to the goats as part of their own house. The houses of the goats
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were pakka (94%) and partial pakka (4%) with average ventilation. Most of the farmers
made an open area space in front of goat house with boundary made-up of wooden
materials or brick wall (Maroof Ahmad et al., 2008 a).
2.3 Body weights in goats
The body weights in Marwari goats at birth, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12
months and adults were 2.35 ± 0.15, 10.50 ± 0.82, 12.73 ± 0.42, 17.20 ± 1.05, 20.51 ±
1.60 and 39.91 ± 1.72 kg respectively in males, while the respective values in females
were 2.02 ± 0.21, 9.55 ± 0.17, 10.40 ± 0.36, 12.42 ± 1.55, 15.93 ± 2.17 and 28.74 ± 2.02
kg (Mittal, 1988). The body weight was 29.45 ± 0.0 kg in females and 33.76 ± 0.57 kg in
males (Gahlot et al., 2004). The overall means for body weight at birth, 3, 6, 9 and 12
months were 3.05 ± 0.05, 11.35 ± 0.17, 14.94 ± 0.21, 19.98 ± 0.22 and 23.19 ± 0.18 kg
respectively (Rai et al., 2004). The body weights at 3 months, 6 months and adult were
12.89 ± 1.22, 20.91 ± 0.55 and 39.51 ± 2.24 kg respectively in males while the values in
females were 13.50 ± 0.80, 19.94 ± 1.23 and 31.86 ± 0.42 kg respectively (Dixit et al.,
2007).
Average body weight at 90 days of age in Sirohi, Marwari and Kutchi breeds of
goats were 15.70 ± 0.51, 14.56 ± 0.32 and 14.00 ± 0.58 kg respectively, at 6 months the
weights were 26.90 ± 0.72, 26.66 ± 0.42 and 23.98 ± 0.86 kg respectively, at 9 months
they were 37.33 ± 1.17, 34.81 ± 0.47 and 32.76 ± 1.44 kg respectively and at 12 months
45.15 ± 1.02, 41.25 ± 0.72 and 40.38 ± 1.54 kg respectively (Mehta et al., 2000).
For Sirohi goats the body weights at three, six, nine and 12 months were 11.39,
16.49, 20.03 and 23.39 kg respectively (Pathodiya et al., 2004 a); the average daily gain
in body weight at birth-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months was 88.64 ±
2.27, 51.23 ± 2.99, 47.00 ± 3.17 and 41.77 ± 3.63 kg respectively (Swami et al., 2006 a).
The average body weight at birth, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months were
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2.58 ± 0.03, 11.40 ± 0.22, 14.75 ± 0.36, 20.15 ± 0.47 and 23.67 ± 0.55 kg respectively
(Swami et al., 2006 c). The means for the body weights were 2.16 ± 0.05, 10.84 ± 0.23,
15.24 ± 0.28, 18.33 ± 0.40 and 21.94 ± 0.35 kg at birth, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months
respectively (Sharma and Pathodiya, 2007).
The average body weight in males of Sangamneri breed was 59.07 ± 2.19 kg and
in females 35.74 ± 1.05 kg (Misra and Koratkar, 1994). The body weight for males and
females ranged between 25-54 and 22-49 kg respectively (Verma et al., 2008). In Kodi
Adu goats Jain et al. (2000), reported the body weight for males and females to range
between 39.50 ± 1.59 kg and 32.17 ± 0.73 kg, while Karna et al. (2001) reported overall
mean birth weight as 2.07 ± 0.02 kg. In Chegu goats the body weight of kids at birth was
2.0 kg and going up to 14-15 kg in males and 12-13 kg in females at one year of age.
Adult males weighed 35-40 kg while females weighed 25-30 kg (Thakur, 2004).
The relative growth rate of body weight in Black Bengal goats at 0-4 wk (kg/kg),
4-8 wk (g/kg), 8-12 wk (g/kg) and 0-12 wk (kg/kg) were reported as 0.89 ± 0.05, 472.57
± 24.09, 302.48 ± 21.13 and 2.85 ± 0.13 respectively, the corresponding values in
Jamunapari x Black Bengal crosses were 1.11 ± 0.04, 485.95 ± 21.47, 278.44 ± 18.89
and 3.16 ± 0.12 respectively, while for Beetal x Black Bengal the values were 1.08 ±
0.05, 471.87 ± 28.14, 299.03 ± 24.79 and 3.14 ± 0.19 respectively (Singh et al., 2002).
In Berari goats of Nagpur region the mean body weight at 6 months and 9 months
was 12.17 ± 0.18 and 15.84 ± 0.21 kg respectively (Ambhore et al., 2003), the birth
weight in males and females was 2.20 and 2.06 respectively while the adult weights were
18.05 and 16.96 respectively (Ali et al., 2004).
In Jamunapari goats overall mean body weight at birth, 3 months, 6 months, 9
months and 12 months were 2.79 ± 0.04, 9.12 ± 0.14, 13.14 ± 0.21, 18.09 ± 0.30 and
22.41 ± 0.37 kg respectively (Roy et al., 2003), the females weighing about six pounds at
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birth, 30 pounds at 6 months and 65 pounds at 12 months, with adult male attaining 80
pounds by 12 months under good feeding systems (Rout et al., 2007). The mean weight
at 6, 9 and 12 months of age was 17.25 ± 0.27, 24.62 ± 0.33 and 29.87 ± 0.34 kg
respectively under intensive rearing, and 14.06 ± 0.22, 18.85 ± 0.24 and 23.29 ± 0.31 kg
respectively under semi-intensive system of management (Roy et al., 2007). The pooled
overall body weights at birth, 4th, 8th and 12th week were 1.37 ± 0.05, 3.26 ± 0.05, 4.98 ±
0.19 and 6.63 ± 0.17 kg in Black Bengal, Jamunapari x Black Bengal and Beetal x Black
Bengal goats respectively (Singh et al., 2007 b).
In Malabari goat breed of Kerala the overall average body weights at birth, 1
month, 3 months and 6 months were 1.65 ± 0.02, 4.82 ± 0.09, 8.37 ± 0.25, 12.52 ±0.60
and 16.92 ± 1.56 kg respectively (Raghavan et al., 2004), the mean body weight at birth,
3 months, 6 months and 12 months being 1.62, 5.98, 10.66 and 19.61 kg respectively
(Raghavan et al., 2007), whereas average body weights of adult female and adult goats
were 30.68 and 41.20 kg respectively (Verma et al., 2007 b).
Rao and Patro (2004) reported in Ganjam goats of Orissa the body weight at
birth, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months in males as 2.36 ± 0.02, 7.35 ± 0.25,
9.87 ± 0.20, 11.57 ± 0.23 and 12.63 ± 0.28 kg respectively and in females the values
were 2.25 ± 0.21, 6.87 ± 0.21, 9.07 ± 0.16, 10.89 ± 0.28 and 11.46 ± 0.21 kg
respectively. For Bengal type goats of Orissa they reported the body weight at birth, 3
months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months in males as 1.56 ± 0.07, 7.00 ± 0.21, 9.14 ±
0.46, 10.06 ± 0.30 and 11.02 ± 0.46 kg respectively and in females as 1.25 ± 0.12, 7.12 ±
0.23, 8.15 ± 0.24, 8.92 ± 0.35 and 9.87 ± 0.39 kg respectively. Similarly for Ghumsur
goats of Orissa the authors estimated the body weight at birth, 3 months, 6 months, 9
months and 12 months in males as 2.11 ± 0.01, 9.10 ± 0.06, 9.50 ± 0.02, 12.51 ± 0.01
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and 15.11 ± 0.10 kg respectively, whereas in females the values were 1.75 ± 0.30, 7.23 ±
0.03, 8.51 ± 0.06, 11.28 ± 0.01 and 14.21 ± 0.02 kg respectively.
In Chaugarkha goat breed of Uttaranchal the body weights of adults were 17.61 ±
0.61 kg in males and 18.18 ± 0.42 kg in females (Barwal et al., 2007). In Black Bengal
goats the overall body weights at birth, 4th, 8th and 12th week were 1.18 ± 0.05, 2.75 ±
0.08, 4.25 ± 0.56 and 5.64 ± 0.37 kg respectively (Singh et al., 2007 c).
In Mehsana, Sirohi and Katchhi breeds of North Gujarat the mean body weights
in males at 0-3, 4-6, 7-9, 10-12 months and in adults were 9.48 ± 0.30, 19.72 ± 0.33,
20.31 ± 0.53, 23.54 ± 0.46 and 44.15 ± 1.76 kg respectively. The corresponding values in
females were 10.04 ± 0.26, 18.91 ± 0.14, 21.09 ± 0.16, 23.42 ± 0.15 and 35.30 ± 0.72 kg
(Singh et al., 2007 d).
The average body weights in kids (0-3 months) in Mehsana goats were 9.48 ±
0.30 and 10.04 ± 0.26 kg, for 4-6 months age the weights were 19.72 ± 0.33 and 18.91 ±
0.14 kg and in 7-9 months age group it was 20.31 ± 0.53 and 21.90 ± 0.16 kg in males
and females respectively, while at one year and adults it was 23.54 ± 0.46 and 36.68 ±
1.24 kg respectively in males and were 23.42 ± 0.15 and 36.09 ± 0.24 kg in females
respectively (Singh et al., 2007 f).
Singh et al. (2007 g) observed for Zalawadi goat kids of Gujarat the mean body
weight at birth as 3.08 ± 0.07 kg for males and 2.84 ± 0.07 kg for females. The values at
3-3.5 months were 11.39 ± 0.70 kg for males and 10.29 ± 0.70 kg females. At 9-10
months the values were 20.39 ± 1.76 kg for males and 17.82 ± 1.04 kg for females. At 12
months the values were 29.16 ± 1.26 kg for males and 22.07 ± 0.87 kg for females. For
adults (2 years) the values were 52.06 ± 3.12 kg for males and 34.34 ± 0.37 kg for
females.
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In Jakhrana breed Verma et al. (2007 c) reported mean body weights at one
month as 9.76 ± 0.60 kg. In males the body weights at 3 months, 6 months and adult
were 17.83 ± 1.41, 26.33 ± 2.96 and 55.00 ± 2.84 kg respectively while the values in
females were 16.53 ± 0.80, 21.83 ± 0.62 and 36.98 ± 0.68 kg respectively. Bhusan and
Rai (2008) observed that the kids born in first (I) (March to August) season weighed
more than the kids born in season second (II) (Sep. to Feb.). Single born kids had more
body weight at different ages than the twins. Male kids at different ages weighed more
than female kids. Similarly adult males had more body weight than adult females.
In Bareilly goats the body weight varied from 2 to 3 kg at birth, 8 to 10 kg at
weaning, 10 to 15 kg at 6-9 months, 20 to 25 kg at yearling and 35-40 kg at adult (Das,
2008). In Surti breed of goat the adult buck weight ranged from 19 to 46 kg and that of
doe ranged from 18 to 70 kg. The average body weight of adult male and female was
29.03 and 31.06 kg respectively (Dixit et al., 2008).
In Kanniadu kids the body weight of kids at 8th and 10th fortnights under intensive
(13.02 ± 0.89 and 15.70 ± 0.89 kg respectively) and semi-intensive (13.65 ± 0.74 and
16.07 ± 0.82 kg) housing system was significantly (P<0.01) higher than under extensive
(10.76 ± 0.46 and 11.91 ± 0.46 kg) system. In Salem Black goats the mean body weights
in six and eight teeth males and females were 41.76 ± 0.68 and 48.64 ± 0.64 kg; 26.42 ±
0.43 and 31.76 ± 0.26 kg respectively (Gopu et al., 2008).
In Beetal breed of goats the average body weight was found to be 45.13 ± 0.44 kg
(Maroof Ahmad et al., 2008 a), whereas the mean of body weights at birth, 1, 2 and 3-
month of age were 3.87 ± 0.07, 7.20 ± 0.12, 10.21 ± 0.14 and 13.73 ± 0.14 kg
respectively in male and the corresponding values for female were 3.42 ± 0.07, 6.50 ±
0.11, 8.35 ± 0.12 and 11.74 ± 0.12 kg (Maroof Ahmad et al., 2008 b).
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The birth weight of males and females were 1.85 ± .02 and 1.75 ± 0.04 kg
respectively in Pallai Adu goat (Ravimurugan et al., 2008). The adult body weights of
males and females were 21.19 ± 0.08 and 20.25 ± 0.06 kg respectively. In indigenous
goats of Keonjhar district of Orissa the mean values of body weight at different stages of
growth viz. birth, 3, 6, 9, 12 and above 12 months were 1.41 ± 0.01, 6.78 ± 0.06, 8.82 ±
0.06, 10.29 ± 0.03, 11.96 ± 0.05 and 15.83 ± 0.09 kg in males and 1.30 ± 0.01, 6.35 ±
0.05, 8.20 ± 0.05, 10.27 ± 0.03, 10.85 ± 0.04 and 14.90 ± 0.18 kg in females respectively
(Singh Bariah et al., 2008).
In Tellicherry breed of goat the overall means for birth weight of males and
females pooled over parity and type of birth was 2.28 ± 0.03 and 2.01 ± 0.03 kg
respectively (Thiruvenkadan et al., 2008).
2.4 Body measurements in goats
Literature pertaining to different body measurements such as body length, body
height and chest girth has been reviewed.
2.4.1 Body Length
The body length ranged from 56-104 cm for males and 50-99 cm for females in
Jamunapari breed (Bhat, 1988 a). In Sangamneri breed the average body length in males
was 76.40 ± 2.22 cm while in females the value was 65.29 ± 0.66 cm (Misra and
Koratkar, 1994), whereas values ranging from 65 - 83 cm in adult males and 56 - 80 cm
in females were reported by Misra and Koratkar (1994).
The body length in males for Kodi Adu was 74.32 ± 1.94 cm while in females the
value was 72.57 ± 0.60 cm (Jain et al., 2000) while in Chegu goats of Himachal Pradesh
the overall mean body length was 32.74 ± 2.81 cm (Karna et al., 2001).
In Sirohi goats the body length at birth was 31.07 ± 0.22 cm, at 3 months the
value was 47.38 ± 0.48 cm, at 6 months it was 55.02 ± 0.67 cm (Tomar et al., 2001),
19
while the body lengths at birth, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months in males
were 28.46 ± 0.33, 44.12 ± 0.61, 49.48 ± 0.93, 54.65 ± 0.78 and 58.96 ± 0.79 cm and in
females the corresponding values were 28.03 ± 0.33, 44.10 ± 0.61, 49.31 ± 0.93, 54.42 ±
0.77 and 58.05 ± 0.77 cm (Sharma et al., 2008).
In Berari goats of Nagpur region Ambhore et al. (2003) reported the mean body
length at 6 months and 9 months to be 45.77 ± 0.71 and 50.11 ± 0.62 cm respectively
while Ali et al. (2004) reported that the body length was 36.37 cm in males and 36.10 cm
in females.
In Marwari breed, the body length was found to be 59.29 ± 0.46 in females and
61.64 ± 1.01 cm in males (Gahlot et al., 2004). Dixit et al. (2007) reported body length at
one month to be 17.29 ± 0.39 inches. At 3 months, 6 months and in adults the values
were 19.83 ± 1.00, 23.95 ± 0.24 and 29.54 ± 0.59 inches respectively in males while the
values in females were 19.71 ± 0.36, 23.22 ± 0.65 and 27.02 ± 0.15 inches respectively.
Raghavan et al. (2004) reported for Malabari goat breed an overall average of
61.14 ± 0.37 cm for body length in adults, while Verma et al. (2007 b) observed the
average body length as 39.20 cm at the weaning age (3 months) and 70.30 cm in adults.
In Ganjam goats of Orissa Rao and Patro (2004) observed the mean body length
in males as 23.17 ± 0.27 cm and 21.17 ± 0.56 cm in females. For Bengal type goats of
Orissa the body length in males was 22.17 ± 0.23 cm and in females the value was 20.73
± 0.42 cm. While in Ghumsur goats of Orissa the body length in males was 54.81 ± 0.31
cm and 49.45 ± 0.27 cm in females.
The body length was 54.71 ± 0.47 cm in females and 54.66 ± 0.87 cm in males
for Chaugarkha goat breed of Uttaranchal (Barwal et al., 2007), whereas in Parbatsari
goat of Rajasthan the average value of body length in females was 63.0 cm while in
males it was 69.8 cm (Patel et al., 2007). In Zalawadi goats the mean body length at birth
20
was 28.7 ± 0.3 cm for males and 28.1 ± 0.2 cm for females, at 3-3.5 months it was 53.0 ±
0.49 cm for males and 53.0 ± 0.23 cm for females, at 9-10 months the values were 63.3 ±
1.04 cm for males and 59.0 ± 0.41 cm for females, at 12 months the values were 64.0 ±
1.09 cm for males and 61.0 ± 0.38 cm for females, and for adults the values were 81.07 ±
1.44 cm for males and 73.03 ± 0.76 cm for females (Singh et al., 2007 g).
Average measurement of 79.78 cm for body length was observed in Gohilwadi
goats (Verma et al., 2007 a), body lengths at 3 months, 6 months and of adults were
57.92 ± 1.62, 65.51 ± 1.04 and 82.07 ± 1.91 cm respectively in males, while the values in
females were 56.38 ± 1.63, 63.33 ± 1.12 and 73.66 ± 0.65 cm respectively in Jakhrana
breed (Verma et al., 2007 c).
In Kanniadu kids the body length at 8th and 10th fortnights under intensive and
semi-intensive housing system was significantly (P<0.01) higher than that under
extensive system (Elangovan et al., 2008) while in Salem Black goats the means for
body length were 72.4 ± 0.5 cm in six-teeth males and 80.5 ± 0.4 cm in eight-teeth males
(Gopu et al., 2008).
For Beetal breed of goat the morpho-metric measurements recorded for body
length was 76.72 ± 0.32 cm (Maroof Ahmad et al., 2008 a) while the mean body length
observed in Beetal kids were found to be 31.27 ±1.20, 39.93 ± 0.85, 45.02 ± 1.05 and
49.85 ± 0.90 cm at birth, 1, 2 and 3-month of age in males while the corresponding
values for females were 30.08 ± 1.23, 40.13 ± 0.90, 43.83 ± 1.27 and 48.61 ± 1.12 cm
(Maroof Ahmad et al., 2008 b).
Ravimurugan et al. (2008) observed in Pallai Adu breed of goat an overall mean
for body length of 55.30 ± 0.08 cm in male and 50.33 ± 0.06 cm in females. Males had
significantly (P<0.01) higher values than females. Singh Bariah et al. (2008) observed in
21
indigenous goats of Keonjhar district of Orissa the body length of 51.16 ± 0.16 cm in
males and 48.60 ± 0.17 cm in females.
2.4.2 Body Height
Body height varied from 58 to 98 cm for males and from 55 to 104 cm in females
in Jamunapari breed (Bhat, 1988 a). The average body height in males was 80.20 ± 2.22
cm while in females the value was 69.83 ± 0.66 cm in Sangamneri breed (Misra and
Koratkar, 1994). In Kodi Adu the height at withers in males was 87.07 ± 1.13 cm while
in females the value was 81.07 ± 0.53 cm (Jain et al., 2000), while the overall mean
height at withers was 29.33 ± 0.13 cm in Chegu goats of Himachal Pradesh (Karna et al.,
2001).
In Sirohi goats the body height at birth was 34.77 ± 0.25 cm, 50.02 ± 0.51 cm at 3
months, and 57.14 ± 0.70 cm at 6 months (Tomar et al., 2001) while Sharma et al.
(2008) observed the body height at birth, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months
in males to be 30.97 ± 0.30, 46.36 ± 0.56, 51.09 ± 0.72, 57.58 ± 0.59 and 62.64 ± 0.57
cm and in females the corresponding values were 30.63 ± 0.29, 46.30 ± 0.55, 51.76 ±
0.71, 57.47 ± 0.57 and 61.74 ± 0.53 cm.
In Berari goats of Nagpur region the mean height at withers at 6 months and 9
months were 54.00 ± 0.43 and 60.77 ± 0.55 cm respectively (Ambhore et al., 2003),
whereas Ali et al. (2004) reported the height at withers as 53.16 cm in males and 53.41
cm in females.
In Marwari breed the height at withers was 68.01 ± 0.45 cm in females while the
corresponding value for males was 69.85 ± 0.86 cm (Gahlot et al., 2004), height at
withers in males at 3 months, 6 months and adult were 21.94 ± 1.67, 25.64 ± 0.27 and
31.17 ± 0.55 inches respectively while the values in females were 21.96 ± 0.37, 25.13 ±
0.60 and 28.05 ± 0.12 inches respectively (Dixit et al., 2007).
22
In Malabari goat breed of Kerala the overall average for height at withers of
adults was 60.12 ± 0.23 cm (Raghavan et al., 2004) while Verma et al. (2007 b) found
the average height at withers to be 41.87 cm at the weaning age (3 months) and 68.41
cm in adults.
Rao and Patro (2004) described Ganjam goats of Orissa and observed the mean
height at withers in males to be 41.29 ± 2.52 cm whereas in females the value was 40.82
± 1.28 cm. For Bengal type goats of Orissa the height at withers in males was 40.17 ±
1.23 cm and in females the value was 39.13 ± 0.29 cm. While in Ghumsur goats of
Orissa the height at withers in males was found to be 62.53 ± 0.08 cm and in females the
value was 60.20 ± 0.08 cm.
For Chaugarkha goat breed of Uttaranchal the height at withers was 53.97 ± 0.35
cm in females and 54.6 ± 0.68 cm in males (Barwal et al., 2007), while in Parbatsari goat
of Rajasthan the average values of height at withers in females recorded was 73.3 cm
while in males it was 81.7 cm (Patel et al., 2007).
Singh et al. (2007 g) observed the mean height at withers for Zalawadi goat kids
of Gujarat at birth as 30.6 ± 0.2 cm for males and 29.6 ± 0.3 cm for females. The values
at 3 to 3.5 months were 57.0 ± 0.53 cm for males and 56.0 ± 0.27 cm for females
respectively. The values were 68.2 ± 1.14 cm for males and 63.1 ± 0.39 cm for females
at 9 to 10 months, 72.0 ± 1.25 cm for males and 65.0 ± 0.69 cm for females at 12
months, and 84.61 ± 1.34 cm and 73.16 ± 0.41 cm for adult males and females
respectively.
The Gohilwadi goats had average measurements of 81.04 cm for wither height as
reported by Verma et al. (2007 a), while in Jakhrana breed the height at withers in males
at 3 months, 6 months and adult were 60.71 ± 1.49, 72.08 ± 0.96 and 87.85 ± 1.65 cm
23
respectively and the same in females were 59.18 ± 1.17, 63.92 ± 1.12 and 77.42 ± 0.46
cm respectively (Verma et al., 2007 c).
In Salem Black goats the means for height at withers were 83.5 ± 0.2 cm in six-
tooth males and 87.6 ± 0.5 cm in eight-tooth males; these measurements were 78.5 ± 1.3
cm in six-tooth females and 83.2 ± 0.3 cm in eight-tooth females (Gopu et al., 2008).
The mean body heights at birth, 1, 2 and 3-month of age were 35.33 ± 0.80, 45.76
± 0.68, 51.13 ± 1.03 and 56.82 ± 1.10 cm respectively in male and 34.96 ± 1.00, 44.79 ±
0.72, 48.29 ± 1.52 and 54.92 ± 0.90 cm respectively in female Beetal kids (Maroof
Ahmad et al., 2008 b).
Ravimurugan et al. (2008) observed the overall means for height at withers as
74.34 ± 0.09 cm in males and 65.24 ± 0.07 cm in females of Pallai Adu breed of goat.
Males had significantly (P<0.01) higher values than females while Singh Bariah et al.
(2008) observed body height as 54.31 ± 0.30 cm in males and 53.11 ± 0.10 cm in
females in indigenous goats of Keonjhar district of Orissa. In Sangamneri breed of goat
the morphometry showed the range for height at wither as 65 - 82 cm in adult males and
59 - 78 cm in females (Verma et al., 2008).
2.4.3 Chest Girth
Chest girth in Jamunapari breed males was 60-96 cm and in females it was 57-92
cm (Bhat, 1988 a). In Sangamneri breed the average heart girth in males was 85.50 ±
1.88 cm while in females the values were 74.12 ± 0.76 cm (Misra and Koratkar, 1994).
Verma et al. (2008) observed the range for chest girth as 62 - 87 cm in adult males and
61 - 85 cm in females in the same breed.
The chest girth in Kodi Adu males was 82.63 ± 1.44 cm while in females the
value was 76.96 ± 0.54 cm (Jain et al., 2000) and in Chegu goats of Himachal Pradesh
the overall mean chest girth was 31.93 ± 0.20 cm (Karna et al., 2001).
24
In Sirohi goats the heart girth at birth, 3 months, 6 months were 30.86 ± 0.27 cm,
48.01 ± 0.40 cm and 56.35 ± 0.71 cm respectively (Tomar et al., 2001). The body girth at
birth, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months in males were 31.37 ± 0.36, 48.92 ±
0.70, 55.76 ± 0.76, 59.82 ± 0.63 and 65.21 ± 0.59 cm and in females the corresponding
values were 30.90 ± 0.35, 48.89 ± 0.70, 55.09 ± 0.75, 59.86 ± 0.61 and 64.24 ± 0.56 cm
(Sharma et al., 2008).
Ambhore et al. (2003) described Berari goats of Nagpur region and reported the
mean heart girth at 6 months and 9 months as 56.88 ± 0.35 and 63.33 ± 0.46 cm
respectively while Ali et al. (2004) found the values to be 58.33 cm in males and 56.65
cm in females.
In Marwari breed the heart girth was 73.21 ± 0.43 cm in females while the
corresponding value for males was 74.68 ± 0.96 cm (Gahlot et al., 2004). Chest girth in
males at 3 months, 6 months and adult were 20.89 ± 0.90, 24.36 ± 0.23 and 30.75 ± 0.66
inches respectively while the values in females were 21.36 ± 0.44, 24.53 ± 0.61 and
28.99 ± 0.15 inches respectively (Dixit et al., 2007).
Overall average chest girth of adults in Malabari goats was 60.12 ± 0.23 cm
(Raghavan et al., 2004) and measured 38.93 cm at the weaning age (3 months), in adult
animals they recorded 73.17cm (Verma et al., 2007 b). Rao and Patro (2004) described
Ganjam goats of Orissa and found the mean heart girth in males as 35.63 ± 0.65 cm and
in females the value was 34.26 ± 0.17 cm. For Bengal type goats of Orissa the heart girth
in males was 34.29 ± 1.27 cm and in females the values was 33.17 ± 0.86 cm. In
Ghumsur goats of Orissa the heart girth in males was found to be 63.98 ± 0.10 cm and in
females the values were 61.49 ± 0.09 cm.
The heart girth reported for Chaugarkha goat breed of Uttaranchal was 60.76 ±
0.46 cm in females and 59.57 ± 0.87 cm in males (Barwal et al., 2007). In Parbatsari goat
25
of Rajasthan the average values of heart girth in females was 71.3 cm while in males it
was 79.7 cm (Patel et al., 2007). For Zalawadi goat kids of Gujarat the mean heart girth
at birth was 30.1 ± 0.4 cm for males and 28.9 ± 0.3 cm for females, at 3 - 3.5 months
they were 55.0 ± 0.61 cm for males and 55.0 ± 0.29 cm for females, at 9 - 10 months the
values were 67.5 ± 1.17 cm for males and 59.7 ± 0.39 cm for females, at 12 months the
values were 69.0 ± 1.34 cm for males and 62.0 ± 0.76 cm for females and for adults the
values were 86.11 ± 2.65 cm for males and 75.89 ± 0.51 cm for females (Singh et al.,
2007 g). Gohilwadi goats had average measurements of 79.23 cm for heart girth (Verma
et al., 2007 a).
Verma et al. (2007 c) described Jakhrana breed and reported chest girth at one
month as 44.37 ± 0.98 cm. In males the chest girth at 3 months, 6 months and in adults
were 57.15 ± 1.38, 65.33 ± 1.83 and 86.01 ± 1.86 cm respectively while the values in
females were 55.27 ± 0.99, 57.58 ± 0.17 and 76.58 ± 0.53 cm respectively.
For Salem Black goats the means for chest girth were 77.7 ± 0.2 cm in six-tooth
males and 84.1 ± 0.5 cm in eight-tooth males; these measurements were 78.3 ± 1.3 cm in
six-tooth females and 82.1 ± 0.4 cm in eight-tooth females (Gopu et al., 2008).
In Beetal breed of goat the morpho-metric measurements recorded by Maroof
Ahmad et al. (2008 a) for chest girth was 83.75 ± 0.63 cm. The values were 34.88 ±
0.50, 42.86 ± 1.00, 48.85 ± 1.16 and 52.35 ± 1.20 cm in male and 34.36 ± 1.00, 41.92 ±
0.98, 44.83 ± 1.08 and 51.08 ± 0.90 cm in female at birth, 1, 2 and 3-month of age
respectively (Maroof Ahmad et al., 2008 b).
Ravimurugan et al. (2008) observed the overall means for heart girth in male as
70.08 ± 0.05 cm in Pallai Adu breed of goat. The corresponding value in females was
68.05 ± 0.04 cm. Singh Bariah et al. (2008) observed, in indigenous goats of Keonjhar
26
district of Orissa, that the heart girth was 55.23 ± 0.13 cm in males and 53.45 ± 0.16 cm
in females.
2.5 Production Parameters in goats
Earlier reports on milk production, lactation length, milk composition in various
breeds of goats have been reviewed.
2.5.1 Milk
In Marwari goats the average lactation yield was found to be 81.27 ± 7.23, 83.74
± 5.45, 85.95 ± 4.92 and 88.52 ± 6.11 kg for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th lactations respectively
(Mittal, 1988) while the mean value for 150 days milk yield was 93.65 ± 3.99 kg, Overall
mean for lactation milk yield was 110.14 ± 4.94 kg (Rai et al., 2001 a). Gahlot et al.
(2004) reported an average daily milk yield of 0.922 kg, while Dixit et al. (2007)
observed the same to be between 0.5 and 1.0 kg.
The average milk production in Barbari was 0.693 ± 0.13 liters/day (Deoghare
and Khan, 1999), the average milk yield per week in Assam local and Beetal x Assam
local crossbreds were 434.75 ± 54.27 and 809.06 ± 64.23 ml/week respectively (Saikia et
al., 2000). In Sirohi breed the milk yield for 180 days was 249.0 ± 4.9 kg (Mehta and
Sushil Kumar, 2004) while the milk yield at 90 and 150 days were 40.02 and 64.09 liters
respectively. The peak yield was 618.21 ml (Pathodiya et al., 2004 a).
For Malabari goat breed of Kerala the average milk production during early, mid
and late lactations were 720 ± 13, 490 ± 16 and 378 ± 24 ml respectively (Raghavan et
al., 2004), the mean peak yield of milk being 512 ml (Raghavan et al., 2007).
Milk yields of 70, 150, 200 and 270 pounds in 30, 60, 90 and 120 days with
average lactation length of 260 days were recorded by Rout et al., (2007) in Jamunapari.
The overall means for test day milk yield and estimated lactation milk yield was 0.51 kg
and 54.30 kg respectively in Osmanabadi (Mandakmale et al., 2007 e). The overall
27
means for daily milk production was 0.910 liters. The parity wise overall daily average
milk yield in 1st, 2nd, 3rd 4th and 5th lactations were observed to be 0.899, 1.220, 0.906,
0.830 and 0.950 liters respectively in Mehsana (Singh et al., 2007 e). Gohilwadi goats
can yield up to 3 liters of milk per day (Verma et al., 2007 a), while an average test day
yield of 3.31 ± 0.10 kg was recorded by Verma et al., (2007 c) in Jakhrana. In Surti the
milk production was found to range from 1.5 to 4 l/day (Dixit et al., 2008).
2.5.2 Lactation length
Deoghare and Khan (1999) observed 148.33 ± 0.13 days of lactation length,
whereas Mehta and Sushil Kumar (2004) observed it to be 180 days in Barbari goats.
The overall mean lactation length was 105.90 days in Osmanabadi (Mandakmale et al.,
2007 e), 260 days in Jamunapari (Rout et al., 2007) and 162.08±4.85 days in Jakhrana
(Bhusan and Rai, 2008).
2.5.3 Milk Composition
For Marwari goats the milk composition of total solids, fat, protein, lactose and
chlorides were observed as 14.57± 0.58, 4.10 ± 0.17, 3.34 ± 0.05, 4.34 ± 0.09 and 0.24 ±
0.02 per cent respectively (Mittal, 1988) while Dixit et al. (2007) reported various milk
components like fat, Solids not fat, total solids and protein% as 4.15, 8.9 to 1.3, 13 to
17.1 and 3.3 to 3.4 per cent, respectively.
The average composition of milk for total solids, fat, protein, lactose and ash in
Assam local breed were 15.77 ± 0.18, 6.58 ± 0.09, 3.87 ± 0.04, 4.60 ± 0.12 and 0.66 ±
0.01 per cent respectively while for Beetal x Assam local crossbreds the values were
14.92 ± 0.23, 5.87 ± 0.08, 3.79 ± 0.08, 4.64 ± 0.10 and 0.64 ± 0.01 per cent respectively
(Saikia et al., 2000). The average protein content of milk of 2.9%, 3.2% and 3.8% in
early, middle and late lactation respectively were reported by Rout et al. (2007) for
Jamunapari goats. Singh et al. (2007 e) observed the monthly fat% and found lowest
28
percentage in second month (3.19 ± 0.02%) of lactation and highest in fifth month (3.43
± 0.03%), while overall average SNF was observed to be 8.64 ± 0.03% for Mehsana
goat. Verma et al. (2007 c) reported fat, Solids not fat, total solids and protein to be 5.06
±0.24, 8.60 ± 0.10, 13.55 ± 0.26 and 3.70 ±0.02 per cent respectively in milk of Jakhrana
breed.
2.6 Reproduction Parameters in goats
Literature on age at first estrous, age at first kidding, kidding interval, gestation
length and litter size in various breeds of goats have been reviewed.
2.6.1 Age at first estrous
In Marwari breed the age at puberty was 305.99 ± 1.99 days (Gahlot et al., 2004)
and the doe and buck showed sexual maturity at 9-12 and 6-10 months of age
respectively (Dixit et al., 2007). For Malabari goat breed of Kerala the average age at
first estrous was 8.04 ± 0.02 months (Raghavan et al., 2004) and the male started
breeding at 9-12 months (Verma et al., 2007 b).
First heat was observed at 475.0 ± 6.3 days in Ganjam goats of Orissa, at 283.2 ±
5.2 days in Bengal type goats of Orissa and at 279.65 ± 20.33 days in Ghumsur goats
(Rao and Patro, 2004). In Chegu goats of Himachal Pradesh the age at first conception
was 18 months (Thakur, 2004). For Osmanabadi goats, under field conditions, the age at
puberty was 214.63 ± 1.54 days (Mandakmale et al., 2007 d). In Jamunapari goats age at
first conception was about 559 ± 20.1 days (Rout et al., 2000) and at 18 months (Rout et
al., 2007), while in Salem Black goats the age at first mating was 10.28 months (Gopu et
al., 2008). Ravimurugan et al. (2008) observed, in Pallai Adu goat, the overall mean for
age at maturity as 250.56 ± 19.33 days.
29
2.6.2 Age at first kidding
The age at first kidding in Marwari was observed to be 470.25 ± 2.70 days
(Gahlot et al., 2004). In Sirohi first kidding ranged from 284.04 days (Pathodiya et al.,
2004 a) to 679.60 ± 70.48 days (Swami et al., 2006 b). In Malabari it was observed to be
13.72 ± 0.10 months (Raghavan et al., 2004) and 531 days (Raghavan et al., 2007). In
Ganjam goats of Orissa the age at first kidding was 657.1 ± 7.2 days, for Bengal type
goats of Orissa it was 472.3 ± 5.3 days and for Ghumsur goats of Orissa it was 445.03 ±
1.59 days (Rao and Patro, 2004). Mandakmale et al. (2007 b) observed the age at first
kidding of 377.15 ± 2.67 days in Osmanabadi goats under field conditions. In
Jamunapari goats first kidding was 700 ± 9.1 days (Rout et al., 2000), observed at 23
months (Rout et al., 2007) while in the Gohilwadi goats it was found to be 2 ½ years
(Verma et al., 2007 a). In Salem Black goats it was 15.23 months (Gopu et al., 2008) and
in Pallai Adu goats the overall mean for age first kidding as 400.30 ± 2.95 days
(Ravimurugan et al., 2008).
2.6.3 Kidding Interval
In Marwari breed the kidding interval was found to be 313.40 ± 0.80 days
(Gahlot et al., 2004) and varied from 250 to 254 days (Dixit et al., 2007). In Sirohi goats,
the kidding interval was observed to be 430.75 (Pathodiya et al., 2004 a), 306.07 ± 2.46
days (Pathodiya et al,. 2004 b) and 364.82 ± 24.80 days (Swami et al., 2006 b).
Raghavan et al. (2004) reported the average kidding interval as 9.47 ± 0.11
months in Malabari goat breed of Kerala while Raghavan et al. (2007) recorded kidding
interval as 315 days.
The kidding interval was observed to be 365.2 ± 7.2 days in Ganjam goats, 207.3
± 3.4 days in Bengal type goats and 201.77 ± 0.59 days in Ghumsur goats of Orissa (Rao
30
and Patro, 2004). In Osmanabadi goats, under field conditions, the kidding interval was
found to be 219.92 ± 0.75 days (Mandakmale et al., 2007 b).
The inter kidding period observed in Jamunapari by Rout et al. (2000) was 335 ±
6.1 days and by Rout et al. (2007) as 11 months, while Bhusan and Rai (2008) observed
kidding interval of 322.00 ± 25.61 days in Jakhrana breed. Ravimurugan et al. (2008)
observed, in Pallai Adu goat, the overall mean for kidding interval as 400.30 ± 2.95 days.
2.6.4 Gestation Length
The gestation period was recorded as 150.08 days by Pathodiya et al. (2004 a)
and as 146.23 ± 0.49 days by Swami et al. (2006 b) in Sirohi goats. In Ganjam goats
gestation length was 148.26 ± 0.31 days, in Bengal type goats of Orissa it was 146.27 ±
0.37 days and in Ghumsur goats of Orissa it was 145.03 ± 0.48 days (Rao and Patro,
2004).
Mandakmale et al. (2007 b) observed the gestation period to be 149.96 ± 0.82
days for Osmanabadi goats under field conditions and Bhusan and Rai (2008) found it to
be 151.33 ± 1.48days in Jakhrana.
2.6.5 Litter size
A kidding percent of 93.75 and twinning percent of 5.02 was observed by Mittal
(1988) in Marwari goats. Gahlot et al. (2004) found singles, twins and triplets in
Marwari goats to be 89.16, 10.56 and 0.28 percent respectively. Dixit et al. (2007)
reported 10% twinning and kidding percentage between 80 to 90 percent. In Sangamneri
breed 99.7% kidding, 53.4% twins and 25% triplets were observed and average litter
size was 1.55 ± 0.01 (Misra and Koratkar, 1994). In Sirohi goats the single, twins and
triplets were 84.83, 14.94 and 0.23 percent respectively (Pathodiya et al., 2004 a). In
Malabari goats incidence of multiple births was 32, 54, 13 and 1% for singles, twins,
triplets and quadruplets respectively and mean litter size at birth was 1.98 ± 0.08
31
(Raghavan et al., 2004). Raghavan et al. (2007) found the incidence of multiple births in
Malabari goats to be 72.14, 25.39, 2.17 and 0.30 per cent for singles, twins, triplets and
quadruplets respectively. Verma et al. (2007 b) observed 50% twinning, 25% triplets and
5% tetraplets in Malabari breed of goat.
In Chegu goats multiple births were rare (Thakur, 2004). In Jamunapari twinning
was 52% and triplets and quadruplets were common (Rout et al., 2007). In Gohilwadi
goats twinning was reported to be 40-50% (Verma et al., 2007 a). Percentage of twins
born in Jakhrana flock was 57.04 (Bhusan and Rai, 2008). For Surti goats twins were
born to majority of does (50-60%), and triplets were rare (5%) and the mean litter size of
the does pooled over parities was 1.48 ± 0.13 and the incidence of multiple births was
37.5 % (Dixit et al., 2008). The percent of twinning in Osmanabadi goats was found to
be 54.83 while single kidding was 45.17 per cent (Motghare et al., 2008).
2.7 Prediction equation for estimating body weight
Body measurements have been used to predict body weight by several authors in
many breeds of Indian goats (Bhattacharya et al., 1984 in Black Bengal goats, Das et al.,
(1990) in Barbari and Jamunapari goats, Prasad et al., (1990) in Nellore sheep, Singh and
Mishra (2004) in Barbari goats, Tandon (1965) in Beetal goats and Ulaganathan et al.,
(1992) in local goats, Slippers et al. (2000) in Sahel goats of Nigeria and Nguni goats
and in West African Dwarf goats by Mayaka et al. (1995).
Bhattacharya et al. (1984) observed the relationship between body weight, heart
girth and length or body weight, heart girth and circumference of neck to be the best
prediction equation for body weight estimation in Black Bengal goats.
Prediction equations for body weights based on four body measurements for
Jamunapari and Barbari kids at birth, three months and six months were reported by Das
et al. (1990) and observed that fitting of hip measurements over length, height and heart
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girth caused a minor non-significant change in R2 value indicating that hip measurement
was not a good predictor of body weight in growing kids. Linear body measurements
were also found to be poor predictors of body weight at birth. The combination of heart
girth and height was better predictor for body weight at 3 and 6 months. The R2 value for
combining length, height and heart girth was around 87-88 per cent in both breeds.
Thiruvenkadan (2005) observed in Kanni Adu goats that body weight had higher
association with heart girth than with length or height. The chest girth alone or a
combination of three measurements could be used for prediction of body weight. It was
also reported that coefficient of determination between 0-12 months age groups were
higher than between weight at 0-3, more than 3 to 6, more than 6 to 9 and more than 9 to
12 months age groups separately.