Mother and Kids
Until recently there has been no specific breed of goats for meat production in this country.
In South Africa a special breed known as the ‘Improved Boer’ goat has been developed, which boasts a 200 percent kidding rate, a liveweight gain in the first year of 170 gms/day, and adult liveweights as high as 100 kg for bucks and 60 kg for does.
Slaughter animals are 17-18 kg carcass weight at 7-8 months.
To maximise meat production a doe should give birth to twins and produce sufficient milk to ensure rapid weightgain — at least 2 litres per kid per day for the first few months.
Does of the milking breeds are the only ones likely to have that capacity, but such does are too expensive for a meat operation based on the principle of minimal costs.
Crossing cheaper feral does with a milking breed buck is more practicable, and is in fact the basis of the Kiko breed developed in Nelson by Garrick Batten.
Female progeny of the feral x milking breed matings are selected for general conformation, hardiness, temperament and size, with high priority given to the latter trait. Kiko kids have grown at similar rates, up to 6 months’ of age, to lambs run on similar hill country.
In selecting replacement does, priority should be given to size at 5-8 months, this trait being highly inheritable. This may mean selecting against twinning, since a single kid will normally outgrow a twin. However, twinning is not highly inheritable, but can be manipulated by feeding level at mating.
Farmed Goats
The importance of size needs to be emphasised. When we think of sheep, we have in mind animals that are by and large about the same size; the variation is not really very great.
But goats can differ to a much greater extent, with adult live-weights ranging from as low as 18 kg up to 56 kg.
And in very basic terms it can be said that the larger a doe is the better she is — other factors being equal — as a breeding prospect.
One of the principles of breeding is that the fewer the traits selected for, the faster the progress that can be made.
In a simple low-cost meat production system, priority must be given to weightgain and slaughter weight. Conformation, temperament and the like, are certainly important, but not first priorities.
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