EEect of strategic feed supplementation during pregnancy on the performance of goats

Abstract

Gravid does (18) were randomly divided into 3 groups, fed wheat straw ad lib. and supplemented with concentrate mixture @ 20gkgW0.75th throughout the experimental period to study the effect of strategically supplemented pregnancy allowance on the reproductive performance of goats. Additional 20g concentrate mixture/kgWw0.75 as given as pregnancy allowance to gravid does from 61 days post-mating (DPM) to term, 61-90 DPM and 121 DPM to term to HH (high-high), HL(high-low) and LH (low-high) group, respectively. Mean daily dry-matter (DM) intake (g/Kg W09 increased significantly during first 90 days of gestation and then became stable. Intake and digestibility of DM by does during metabolism trial (after 135 DPM) was significantly lower in treatment HL in comparison to comparable values of HH and LH treatments, whereas crude protein digestibility was significantly higher for treatment LH followed by HH and HL, respectively. Live weight changes, foetal growth and reproductive performance of goats on treatment HH and LH were statistically similar and significantly better relative to does on HL. Results indicated that last month of gestation is the period of most rapid foetal growth necessitating supplementation of pregnancy allowance to economize production and minimize reproductive losses in goats.