• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.39-45
• /
• 2004

Despite higher fecundity, Black Bengal goat generally has lower milk production, which is often insufficient for their multiple kids. However, milk requirement of Black Bengal kids is poorly defined. Present trial was thus designed to determine the requirement and intake of milk of pre-weaned Black Bengal kids in relation to their growth rate age and sex. Thirty, one month old Black Bengal kids of either sex divided into two groups were allocated to two groups, suckling alone (T1) or suckling along with teat-bottle feeding of milk (T2). Ten kids were allocated for the T1 and 20 kids were allocated for the T2. Digestibility of milk was also determined in T2 animals. Average daily consumption of milk, milk energy and milk N were 773 and 722 g, 1,170 and 1,093 kJ/kg $W^{0.75}/d$ and 1,552 and 1,462 mg N/kg $W^{0.75}/d$, respectively. During 9 weeks trial period, male kids had significantly higher live weight (4.32 vs. 4.20 kg; p<0.01) and intake of milk (773 vs. 722 g/d; p<0.05), energy (117 vs. 1,093 kJ/kg $W^{0.75}$/d; p<0.01) and N (1,552 vs.1,462 mg/k $W^{0.75}/d$; p<0.01) than the female. Milk consumption and the corresponding milk energy and milk N intake increased linearly up to 5th week of the trial, which, then decreased quadratically up to 9th week i.e., up to the weaning. Overall milk DM intake during this period was 2.58% (range 1.5-3.0%) of live weight or about 36 g/kg $W^{0.75}/d$ (range 29-45 g/kg $W^{0.75}/d$). Pre-weaned Black Bengal kids of about 4.5 kg weight, growing at the rate of 60 g weight daily requires at least 750 g milk daily. Daily live weight gain, estimated as the regression between the live weights over time, was 60 g ($r^2$=0.99) and 55 g ($r^2$=0.99), respectively, for the male and female kids. Efficiency of milk energy utilization for weight gain ranged from 0.67 to 0.84 (mean 0.81) for the male kid and 0.75 to 0.91 (mean 0.82) for the female kids. Efficiency of milk protein utilization for weight gain ranged from 0.46 to 0.70 (mean 0.61) for the male kid and 0.51 to 0.81 (mean 0.64) for the female kids. Additional teat-bottle feeding of suckling kids had no significant effect on their growth rate (54vs. 57 g/d). Average digestibility of milk DM, OM and N was 98.85, 98.99 and 98.69%, respectively and they were slightly (p>0.05) higher in the male than the female kids. Results suggest that the requirement of energy and protein and their utilization efficiency in Black Bengal kids is not different from that of the other breeds of goat.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.10
• /
• pp.1437-1449
• /
• 2006

Thirty six pre-weaned Barbari kids at 4 months age were reared on four rations computed using coarse cereal grains and by-products of pulses and oil seeds with Crude Protein (CP) and Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN) of 12 and 55% (Low protein Low energy); 12 and 60% (Low protein High energy); 14 and 55% (High protein Low energy); and 14 and 60% (High protein High energy), respectively. After 180 days on feed, male animals ($4{\times}5=20$) were slaughtered to study the effect of diet on carcass characteristics and meat quality. To asses the effect, if any, of such diet on product quality, meat balls were prepared and evaluated for quality changes when fresh as well as during storage ($-20{\pm}1^{\circ}C$). Feeding a ration with CP12 and TDN 60% (LH) to kids produced animals with highest slaughter weight (20.3 kg) yielding higher carcass weight and dressing percentage, lean (65.6%) and fat (6.6%) contents with low bone and trim losses. Although total variety meat yield was markedly higher in HL, the non-carcass fat deposition was relatively higher in LH carcasses. The water activity ($a_w$) of fresh goat meat ranged from 0.994-0.995 and total cholesterol 72.8-90.5 mg/100 g meat. The pH was high in HL and HH meat resulting in decreased ($p{\leq}0.05$) extract release volume (ERV). Meat balls were prepared using meat obtained from goats fed different rations (treatments) and stored at $-20{\pm}1^{\circ}C$. They were evaluated on day 0 and months 1, 2, 3, 4 for physicochemical, microbiological and organoleptic changes. Overall moisture (%), $a_w$, TBA number and pH value were 67.9, 0.987, 0.17, 6.6 respectively and were not affected by treatments except pH that was significantly ($p{\leq}0.01$) lower on LH. As the storage period advanced moisture, pH, $a_w$ and TBA number increased irrespective of treatments. Feeding various diets had no marked effect on microbial load of meat balls but with increasing storage period Standard Plate Count (SPC) and psychrotrophs declined ($p{\leq}0.01$). Treatment LL and LH produced meat balls with better flavour.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.17 no.6
• /
• pp.848-856
• /
• 2004

Black Bengal goat is primarily reared for meat, skin comes here as a by-product. The present trial describes the effect of age on different carcass characteristics of Black Bengal goats of either sex. A total of 61 Black Bengal goats of different age and sex groups were slaughtered. They were reared under semi-intensive management on milk alone or with concentrates (of 10.14 MJ ME and 10.48 g M/kg DM) and freshly cut Napier grass (2 MJ ME and 25 g CP/kg of fresh matter) that provides the estimated NRC (1981) requirement. The four age groups were: pre-weaned kids (0-90 day), post-weaned kids (91-180 days), growing (181-365 days) and adult (>365 days). Goats were slaughtered according to 'Halal' method by severing the major vessels of the throat by a transverse cut. Different slaughter parameters of Black Bengal goat can be best predicted from the equations as follows: live weight (kg)=0.801 (shoulder height (cm))-24.32, ($r^{2}$=0.94); carcass weight (kg)=0.364 (height at hind legs (cm))-11.54, ($r^{2}$=0.91); edible weight (kg)=0.623 (shoulder height (cm))-19.94, ($r^{2}$=0.91) and saleable weight (kg)=0.701 (shoulder height (cm))-21.99, ($r^{2}$=0.92). Live weight, carcass weight, edible weight and saleable weight of castrated goat at one-year onward ranges from 20-22, 9.4-10.5, 14-16 and 16.6-18.8 kg, respectively, which are about 80% higher than most of the reported observations on Black Bengal goat of same age and sex. Slaughter weight, warm carcass weight, edible weight and saleable weight increased curvilinearly with age of slaughter but not affected (p>0.05) by sex. However, linearity of the response curve of affect of age on mentioned parameters ends at around 9 months. Visceral fat as per cent of live weight increased curvilinearly with age and attain its maximum (about 6%) at about 500 days. However, linear part of the quadratic model ends at about 300 days when visceral fat content is about 4.8% of body weight. Blood and skin yield for one-year old male goat was 797 g and 1.61 kg, respectively. Absolute yield of blood and skin increased curvilinealry and attained maximum level at about 400 days (13.3 months). Average proportion of different carcass cut were - round 27%, rump 7%, loin 10%, ribs (6-12th) 14%, shoulder 21%, Neck 7%, chest 14%. Thigh and shoulder constituted about 48.3% of the cold carcass weight. Overall crude protein content of meat samples of different carcass cuts progressively decreased with age starting from 57 at 0-90 days to 58, 47 and 33 per cent, respectively at 91-180, 181-365 and >365 days, respectively. Overall meat fat content increased almost linearly from 11.1% during 91-180 days to 22.9 and 39.5% during 181-365 and >365days, respectively. Results from this trial suggest that both carcass yield and carcass composition changes with age; and sex have little or no effect on carcass yield and carcass composition. However, caution should be made in using second conclusion as there were few female animals slaughtered relative to the male. Optimum slaughter age for Black Bengal goat reared under semi-intensive management with adequate feeding and management would be about 9 months when their live weight, warm carcass weight, edible and saleable weight of carcass can be about 16.74, 7.28, 12.05 and 13.81 kg, respectively.