Abstract
Liveweight (LW) of does and bucks of the native Creole goat breed and crosses of Creole does and Nubian bucks, aged 1.5–5 years, were recorded and body traits including: head length (HL), head width (HW), body length (BL), trunk length (TL), chest girth (CG), abdominal perimeter (AP), rump length (RL), and height at withers (HW) were measured to develop equations for predicting LW from the body measurements. Weight, sex, breed and kidding date of 354 kids were recorded at birth, and LW of the kids was measured monthly for one year to determine the effect of kidding season on growth rate. Bucks had higher (p < 0.05) body measurements than the does (HL 15.1 ± 0.1 vs 16.6 ± 0.2 cm; BL 97.6 ± 0.4 vs 104.6 ± 1.2 cm; CG 78.8 ± 0.4 vs 79.9 ± 1.0 cm; AP 82.4 ± 0.5 vs 87.2 ± 1.1 cm; HW 62.7 ± 0.4 vs 70.1 ± 0.8 cm). With the exception of TL, F2 does had higher (p < 0.05) body measurements and LW (28.8 ± 1.5 vs 27.7 ± 0.5 kg) than Creole does. The body traits of the F1 does were similar (p > 0.05) to those of Creole does with the exception of HL, BL and HR. The F2 kids were heavier (p < 0.05) at birth (3.31 ± 0.1 vs 2.60 ± 0.1 kg) and grew faster than the Creole kids. Male kids were heavier (p < 0.05) at birth (3.21 ± 0.10 vs 2.73 ± 0.13 kg), and grew faster than female kids. Season had a significant effect on birth weight. The results showed that LW of Creole goats and Creole × Nubian does could be estimated in the field using body traits. Birth weight and growth rate of kids could be improved by management practices that affect season of kidding.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- AP:
-
abdominal perimeter
- BL:
-
body length
- CG:
-
chest girth
- HL:
-
head length
- HW:
-
head width
- HW:
-
height at withers
- LW:
-
liveweight
- RL:
-
rump length
- TL:
-
trunk length
References
Bouchel, D., Lauvergne, J.J., Guibert, E. and Minvielle, F., 1997. Morpho-biometrical study of Rove goats. I. Height at the withers (HW), depth of the thorax (DT), substernal gap (SG) and index of substernal slenderness (Iss) of females. Revue de Médecine Vétérinaire, 148, 37–46.
Capote, J., Delgado, J.V., Fresno, M., Camacho, M.E. and Molina, A., 1998. Morphological variability in the Canary goat population. Small Ruminant Research, 27, 167–172.
Devendra C. and Mcleroy G.B., 1982. Goat and Sheep Production in the Tropics, (Longman, London), 9–31.
Galina, M.A., Puga, D.C., Hernandez, A., Haenlein, G.F.W., 1998. Biodiverse and biosustainable production system with goats in Mexico: importance of a forage bank. Small Ruminant Research, 27, 19–23.
Galina, M.A., Guerrero, M., Serrano, G., Morales R. and Haenlein, G.F.W., 2000. Effect of complex catalytic supplementation with non-protein nitrogen on the ruminal ecosystem of growing goats pasturing on shrub land in Mexico. Small Ruminant Research, 36, 33–42.
Hernández, J.S., 2000. Ethnological characterization of the Creole goats in the Puebla southern, México, Doctoral thesis, University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain).
Herrera, M., Rodero, E., Gutierrez, M.J, Peña, F. and Rodero, J.M., 1996. Application of multifactorial discriminant analysis in the morphostructural differentiation of Andalusian caprine breeds. Small Ruminant Research, 22, 39–47.
Katongole, J.B.D., Sebolai, B. and Madimabe, M.J., 1996. Morphological characterization of the Tswana goat. In: Lebbie S.H.B. and Kagwini, E. (eds), Proceedings of the Third Biennial Conference of the African Small Ruminant Research Network. UICC, Kampala, Uganda, 5–9 December 1994, (ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya), 43–47.
Lauvergne, J.J., Bouchel, D., Minvielle, F. and Guibert, E., 1997. Morpho-biometrical study of Rove goats. II. Ear length (EL) and auricular-thoracic index (ATI) in females. Revue de Médecine Vétérinaire, 148, 501–510.
Madubi, M.A., Kifaro, G.C. and Peterson, P.H., 2000. Phenotypic characterization of three strains of indigenous goats in Tanzania. Animal Genetic Resources Information, 28, 43–51.
Mohammed, I.D. and Amin, J.D., 1996. Estimating body weight from morphometric measurement of Sahel (Borno White) goats. Small Ruminant Research, 24, 1–5.
Mourad, M. and Anous, M.R., 1998. Estimates of genetic and phenotypic parameters of some growth traits in Common African and Alpine crossbred goats. Small Ruminant Research, 27, 197–202.
Olayiwole, M.B. and Adu, I.F., 1988. Past and present research on sheep and goat breeding in Nigeria. In: Proceedings of the Workshop on the Importance of Small Ruminant in West and Central Africa held in Ibadan, Nigeria, 21–25 November 1988, (ILRI, Nairobi, Kenya), 61–69.
Ramirez, R.G. and Mellado, M., 1996. Current development in the management of small ruminant genetic resources: the American continent. Proceedings of the IGA/FAO Round Table on the Global Management of Small Ruminant Genetic Research, Beijing, China, 68–74.
Reinhardt, R.M. and May, A., 1978. Nubian History: America and Great Britain. (Hall Press, San Bernardino, CA).
Sánchez, C.M., 1993. Criteria for Creole goat scoring in the Oaxaca Central Valleys, (Masters thesis, ITAO No, 23. Oaxaca, México).
SAS, 1994. SAS/STAT User’s Guide, version 6, 4th edn, vols 1 and 2, (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC).
Sierra, A., Molina, A., Delgado, J., Hernandez, J. and Rivera M., 1997. Zotechnical description of the Creole goat of the Oaxaca region (Mexico). Animal Genetic Resources Information, 21, 61–70.
Zeuh, V., Lauvergne, J.J., Bourzat, D. and Minvielle, F., 1997. Mapping goat genetic resources of SW Chad. I. Height at the withers (HW), depth of the thorax (DT) and index of substernal slenderness (Iss). Revue d’Élevage et de Médecine Vétérinaire des Pays Tropicaux, 50, 250–260.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Vargas, S., Larbi, A. & Sánchez, M. Analysis of size and conformation of native Creole goat breeds and crossbreds used in smallholder agrosilvopastoral systems in Puebla, Mexico. Trop Anim Health Prod 39, 279–286 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-007-9012-6
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-007-9012-6