article · SpringerPlus
A 90-day feeding trial assessed the growth and carcass traits of three indigenous Ethiopian goat breeds: Bati, Hararghe highland, and Short eared Somali. Thirty-six young goats were allocated to feed regimes containing concentrate supplements at either one percent or one and a half percent of their body weight, alongside free access to hay. Goats fed the higher concentrate allowance consumed more dry matter daily and achieved significantly higher daily weight gains, dressing percentages, primal cuts, and non-carcass fat. Breed-specific differences were also evident. Hararghe highland goats recorded greater carcass weights, larger heart and neck girths, and heavier shoulder and leg cuts than Short eared Somali goats. Hararghe highland goats also exceeded Bati goats in dressing percentage and rib-eye area. Supplementation at one and a half percent of body weight enabled optimal meat production across these indigenous breeds.
Improving meat productivity relies on understanding how native livestock respond to targeted feeding regimes. By demonstrating that indigenous goat breeds produce substantially more meat when fed concentrate at 1.5 percent of body weight, this work helps agriculturalists optimise feeding strategies. It shows that substantial productivity gains can be achieved with local breeds without the need to introduce exotic livestock.
This applied research provides actionable feeding benchmarks directly relevant to commercial goat producers, feed manufacturers, and livestock development programmes in Ethiopia. The nutritional regime is tested and ready for practical farm adoption. Real-world viability will depend on the local cost and availability of concentrate ingredients relative to the market premium achieved for heavier carcasses and improved meat cuts.
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The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of genotypes and concentrate levels on growth performance and carcass characteristics of Bati, Hararghe highland (HH) and Short eared Somali (SS) goat types found in Ethiopia. A 3 × 2 factorial arrangement (3 genotype × 2 concentrate levels) was used to randomly allocate 36 goats (15.2 ± 0.30 kg initial weight); 12 goats from each genotype with age about 1 year were divided randomly into two groups for a feeding trial of 90 days. The two concentrate levels were L1 and L2, where L1 and L2 are levels fed to animals at the rate of 1 and 1.5 % BW, respectively. Hay was fed ad libitum with 20 % refusal rate. The mean daily dry matter intake of the goats was 520.5 g/day. The intake was about 67 g/day higher for L2 than L1 goats. Consequently, L2 goats had significantly (p < 0.05) higher average daily gain, dressing percentage, primal carcass cuts and total non-carcass fat than those fed L1. Among genotypes, HH goats were found to have higher (p < 0.05) carcass weight, heart girth, neck girth, and carcass cuts (legs and shoulders) than SS goats. However, they were not better in dressing percentage than SS goats. Compared to Bati goats, HH goats had significantly (p < 0.05) wider rib-eye area, heavier ribs/racks weights, and better dressing percentage. Despite smaller body size, the performance of SS goats was comparable to Bati goats. In conclusion, the study indicates the potential of Ethiopian indigenous goats to produce optimum amount of meat when supplemented with concentrate at the rate of 1.5 % body weight.
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DOI: 10.1186/s40064-016-2055-2
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