Twenty single male Assaf lambs were divided into two groups and housed in semi-open barns. Air temperature averaged 35°C. For 9 weeks after parturation, one group was cooled by fan between 1000 and 1600 hours and the other group was not cooled. Rectal and skin (head and testis) temperatures, respiration rate, and pulse rate were recorded twice daily. Lambs were weighed individually every week and levels of T3 and thyroxin were determined. Differences in rectal, head, and testis temperatures (P<0.05) and respiration rates (P<0.01) between the two groups were significant. Growth was affected positively by fan treatment, live weight increased by 15%, and cooled lambs had higher thyroxin levels.

Keskin, S., Daskiran, I. and Kor, A. 2007

This study was carried out to determine some reproductive and kid growth characteristics as well as some lactation traits of Kilis goats raised under semiintensive conditions in Kilis Province in Turkey. The animal material of the study comprised 502, 698, and 753 heads of Kilis goats in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. At the end of study, multiple birth rates were calculated between 31.5% and 35.7% during the years. Lactation length and lactation milk yield were determined to be between 207.1 ± 0.81 and 232.4 ± 0.65 days and between 315.7 ± 4.16 l and 375.6 ± 3.4 L, respectively during the years. Lactation characteristics of the goats changed due to lactation number. Birth and weaning weights were found as 3.6 ± 0.02 kg and 12.3 ± 0.04 kg, respectively. It was also detected that birth weight was affected by year, sex, birth type, and farm diversity while weaning weight was not affected by birth type. It was concluded that the Kilis goat has satisfactory milk yield and multiple kidding rates in semiintensive conditions in Kilis Province.

The study was conducted to determine the effect of feeding systems on fattening performance, slaughter, and carcass characteristics of male Norduz kids. In the study, 20 male Norduz kids weaned at 2.5 months of age were divided into two groups after weaning. The first group was reared under semi-intensive conditions (SI) on a mixture of pasture and concentrate, and the second group was reared under extensive conditions (E) on pasture only. SI group had higher final weight (35.30 kg versus 32.81 kg), daily weight gain (153.10 g versus 132.14 g), and warm carcass yield (44.84% versus 46.55%) compared to the E group although there were no significant differences. Body organs, carcass parts, prime cuts, and chemical composition of the chop area did not also differ in two groups significantly. As a conclusion, this study showed that semi-intensive feeding systems improved kid fattening performance and carcass characteristics.

Productive characteristics and body measurements of Norduz goats, a native genetic resource in Turkey, were measured. The animals studied were brought from natural habitats to the farm of the Animal Science Department of Agricultural Faculty, Yüzüncü Yıl University. Least squares means of withers height (WH), body length (BL), chest width at back of withers (CWBW), chest depth (CD), chest girth (CG) and leg girth (LG) of Norduz does were 65.9 ± 1.08, 67.2 ± 1.08, 21.1 ± 0.88, 30.8 ± 0.62, 88.9 ± 1.78 and 60.4 ± 1.28 cm, respectively. Least squares means of body weights after parturition of does were 41.3 ± 2.01 kg. The means of lactation length and lactation milk yield were 226. ± 7.2 days and 347 ± 40.1, respectively. Twinning rate, fertility, fecundity, litter size and litter size at weaning were 30%, 98%, 1.27, 1.30 and 1.28, respectively. Means of WH, BL, CWBW, CD, CG, LG and body weights of Norduz bucks were 73.9 ± 2.61, 75.6 ± 2.23, 21.4 ± 0.67, 33.9 ± 1.15, 95.0 ± 2.34, 69.8 ± 2.69 cm and 58.7 ± 3.91 kg, respectively.