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Title: The influence of artificial rearing and live weight at slaughter on kid carcass characteristics

Author
item ARGUELLO, ANASTASIO - UNIV GRAN CANARIA
item CASTRO, NOEMI - UNIV GRAN CANARIA
item CAPOTE, JUAN - CANARY AGR SCI INST
item Solomon, Morse

Submitted to: Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/15/2006
Publication Date: 1/10/2007
Citation: Arguello, A., Castro, N., Capote, J., Solomon, M.B. 2007. The influence of artificial rearing and live weight at slaughter on kid carcass characteristics. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances 6(1):20-25.

Interpretive Summary: Goats are raised in different parts of the world for hair, leather, meat and milk. Most goats are raised for milk production and few for meat so goatkeepers remove baby goats (kids) from their mothers very early postnatally. This results in kid goats being very light in weight with very little muscling. Perhaps using artificial rearing rather than with their mothers and using a milk replacer for their diet would increase the amount of lean tissue accretion in the newborn kid goats. Results of the current study showed that suckling method (artificial rearing with a milk replacer diet compared to natural rearing with their mothers) had very little influence on carcass yield and quality characteristics. Most of the carcass component changes were a result of increases in slaughter weight.

Technical Abstract: The objective of this research was to compare natural suckling vs. a milk replacer diet for kids at two slaughter weights on carcass characteristics. Forty male twins, Canary Caprine kids were randomly allotted to one of four treatments. Two groups were reared with their dams (WD) while the other two were reared using a milk replacer (MR). Two end point live weights (LWS; 6 and 10 kg) were used for each feeding system. WD kids grew faster (31.87 percent) than MR. The empty body weight, hot carcass weight and cold carcass weight (CCW) were higher in 10 kg than 6 kg kids. There were differences (P<0.01) in carcass conformation measures (L and F) between the two diets. No effects of diet or LWS were observed in primal cuts percentage distribution. WD kids were fatter at slaughter than MR kids. Ten kg LWS kids were fatter with less bone than 6 kg carcasses. The results of the current study showed that a suckling diet method had little effect on carcass yield and quality characteristics. Most of the changes observed were a result of increases in slaughter weight.