Growth Rate of Angora Kids

1. Nutrition

Text Extracted from research by Gretha Snyman, Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute

The relatively poor growth rate of Angora kids, compared to other small stock breeds, is well known and many young ewes do not reach this target weight at first mating age. 

Data from 12 Angora goat studs (over 16 000 kids’ data collected)

BODY WEIGHT and GROWTH RATE

1. Birth to 8 months of age of Ram kids.

2. Birth to 8 months of age Ewe kids

3. Body weight and ADG from 12 to 16 months of age of ewe kids

4. Body weight from 18 to 21 months of age and reproductive performance of young ewes

• Average birth weight was 3.20 kg and ranged from 2.55 kg to 3.39 kg among the studs.
• Average weaning weight of kids was 17.6 kg and varied between 13.7 kg and 22.7 kg for the various studs.
• Average 8-month body weight of kids was 22.9 kg and ranged from 16.5 kg to 32.3 kg.
• Average 12-month body weight of ewe kids were 20.7 kg average, with a range between 14.3 kg and 27.4 kg.
• Average 16-month weight of ewe kids was 24.6 kg, ranging from 17.0 kg to 29.9 kg among studs.
• Average daily gain (ADG)
• Birth to weaning 113 g/day
• Weaning to 8 months 40 g/day
• 8-12 months 9 g/day
• 12-16 months 30 g/day
• Respective weights for 18-month body weight of ewe kids were 26.9 kg average, with a range between 20.9 kg and 35.0 kg.
• Average 21-month weight of ewe kids was 30.6 kg, ranging from 24.8 kg to 37.1 kg among studs.

 After 8 months old in some flocks, the kids showed an increase in body weight, while other remained constant or some even lost weight. Where ewe kids were run on pastures, they maintained a steady growth rate of ± 32 g/day from 8 to 12 and from 12 to 16 months of age. In comparison, the ewe kids run under veld conditions without any supplementation, lost on average 2 g/day between 8 and 12 months of age.

From 12 to 16 months of age, the latter ewe kids gained 28 g/day.

• 15 % kids weaned by the young ewes in one stud which had the lowest body weight at 18 months of age (20.9±0.3),
• compared to the ewes in a stud which weaned 84 % kids and had the highest 18-month body weight (35.0±0.2 kg).
• Furthermore, ewe kids run under veld conditions without supplementation, weaned on average 53% kids, compared to the kids in pasture raised kids in a stud which weaned 84% kids. The importance of a sustained level of adequate nutrition of ewe kids after weaning is emphasized through these results.

 Growth curves of ram kids from birth to 8 months of age and of ewe kids from birth to 16 months of age

Growth curves of ram kids in studs where ram kids received supplementary feeding after weaning and in studs where ram kids received no supplementation

Growth curves of ewe kids in studs where ewe kids received supplementary feeding after weaning and in studs where ewe kids received no supplementation

  CONCLUSIONS

• It is evident that pre-weaning growth rate of ram and ewe kids is satisfactory, but post-weaning growth rate of those kids (ram and ewe) that did not receive supplementary feeding after weaning, is unacceptable.
• The effect of different pre-weaning treatments did not seem to be carried over to body weights at later ages, nor did it affect first kidding performance.
• The poor growth rate of especially ewe kids after weaning till 12 months of age is a serious problem that should be addressed, as it directly influences the reproductive ability of the young ewes, which was again evident from the poor reproductive performance of the young ewes in some of the studs.

Also see WEANING and the FIRST 18 MONTHS on the SAMGA website

https://www.angoras.co.za/page/weaning_and_the_first_18_months#46

REFERENCE:

Extracted from

BODY WEIGHT AND GROWTH RATE OF ANGORA KIDS

Gretha Snyman

Grootfontein Agricultural Development Institute, Private Bag X529, Middelburg (EC), 5900