Effects of creep feeding and its interactions with other factors on the performance of meat goat kids and dams when managed on pasture

Abstract

Creep feeding and its possible interactions with other influential factors (genetics, litter type, and sex) for weaning traits were studied in meat goat kids and their dams. Kids across 3 yr were creep fed (254 kids; 5 pens) or not creep fed (255 kids; 5 pens) from 30 to 90 d of age. Creep-fed kids had higher (P ≤ 0.05) preweaning average daily weight gain and weaning weights (113.1 ± 13.0 g/d; 15.0 ± 0.8 kg) than kids not creep fed (99.8 ± 13.1 g/d; 14.0 ± 0.8 kg). However, financial returns were not higher (P > 0.05) for creep-fed kids compared with kids not creep fed. There was no difference (P > 0.05) in kid conformation score or survival rates between the treatment groups. The only important interaction among kid traits was treatment × litter type (P < 0.05) for FAMACHA scores. Within noncreep pens, single kids had lower (better; P < 0.05) FAMACHA scores (2.9 ± 0.3) than twin kids (3.9 ± 0.3). There was no litter-type effect on FAMACHA scores for kids within the creep feed pens. Dams of the creep-fed (n = 175) and noncreep (n = 178) kids were also evaluated. Treatment did not affect (P > 0.05) litter weights, dam weight change, gross revenue for weaned litters, or fecal egg counts. Treatment interacted with litter type (P < 0.05) to effect packed cell volume (PCV). In the noncreep group, dams raising singles had higher (better; P < 0.05) PCV (18.7 ± 1.3%) than dams rearing twin kids (15.7 ± 1.3%). The litter-type effect on dam PCV was not evident (P > 0.05) in the creep-fed group. Creep feeding improved some kid growth traits but did not improve dam traits or financial returns. Interactions of creep treatment with other factors were minimal for doe-kid traits.

Cost-effectiveness of Total Mixed Ration with Varying Crude Protein Levels for Feeding Dorper Lambs for Human Consumption

“…There were two phases conducted in this study. Phase I consisted of twenty (20) pre-weaning Dorper lambs at 7 days old with a mean initial body weight of 2.91±0.07 kg. Phase I was conducted from day 7 to day 84 of the feeding trial.…”

“…Creep feeding is supplementing nutrition to improve offspring performance during the pre-weaning period. The approach entails supplementing offspring's diets [20]. In contrast, the GR in TMR form will ensure nutrient demands are met, resulting in an optimum performance at growing stages to achieve the desired production level [21].…”

Evaluation of production systems and economic analysis of baby goats raised in the semiarid region of Paraíba

“…The goat breeding strategy has been investigated mainly for the rearing stages, evaluating supplementation strategies on pasture, in confinement or with supplementation (HAYES; LOURENÇON; BROWNING JR, 2019;PEREIRA et al, 2019;HTOO et al, 2018), however, few studies have been conducted with in order to evaluate strategies for baby goats in a semi-arid region favoring weight gain and age at slaughter with reduced production costs.…”