EVALUATION OF BODY WEIGHTS UP TO SIX MONTHS AMONG ALPINE

MALABARI AND ITS BOER HALFBREDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF

MEAT GOAT GENOTYPES SUITED TO KERALA
Jeeva,L.1, Nandakumar,P.2 and Remya, R.3
College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences,
Mannuthy, Thrissur,
Kerala - 680651.

ABSTRACT

Tremendous potential of meat goat industry in Kerala state, endowed

with huge biomass availability, is hampered due to non availability of meat goat
genotypes suited to the state. Boer inheritance was evaluated and compared for
growth and body weight with improved Alpine Malabari (AM) and its Boer half bred
(BAM), in the development of meat goat suited to the state. Body weights from first
six months of age were recorded from hundred goat kids, fifty each belonging to AM
and BAM. The influence of breed, sires, month of birth and sex on body weights were
analyzed using Least squares analysis. Genetic group of the kid had a highly
significant influence on body weights at first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth months
with a clear superiority of BAM kids. BAM kids had body weight at 6.01 kg, 11.65 kg
and 17.79 kg at first, third and sixth month while the corresponding figures for AM
kids were 2.87, 4.30 and 6.81 Kg respectively. This clearly indicated the possibility
of utilizing Boer inheritance in enhancing the bodyweights and development of meat
goat suited to Kerala state. The sire effects were highly significant on the body
weight at first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth months among AM and BAM kids,
indicating additive genetic influences which can be commercially exploited using
high genetic value of buck in the development of meat goat strains. Month of birth
exerted highly significant influence on body weight from first to sixth month among
AM and BAM kids. Kids born in January and December gained highest body weight
possibly attributable to lowest temperature humidity index prevalent during January
and December in Kerala state. Influence of sex of the kid on body weight was not
found to be significant during the entire period of study. The results of the present
study confirmed the potential of Boer breed in significantly enhancing body weight
of the progeny, which can be potentially exploited for the development of meat goat
suited to Kerala State.
Keywords: Boer, bodyweight, month of birth, sire, additive genetic effects.

1. Veterinary Surgeon, Kerala State Poultry Development Corporation, Petta, Thiruvananthapuram.

2. Associate Professor, Communication Centre, Kerala Agricultural University, Mannuthy, Thrissur. (Corresponding author)
3. Senior Research Fellow, Department of Veterinary Public Health, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Mannuthy,
Thrissur.
204 Tamilnadu J. Veterinary & Animal Sciences 7 (3) 204-208, July - August, 2011
 Jeeva et.al.,
INTRODUCTION
The State of Kerala with its tropical climate
and an average rainfall of 338 cms favour abundant
biomass availability by virtue of its lush green
vegetation. The huge potential of meat goat industry
in the state is hampered due to the non availability
of meat goat genotypes, which can transform this
abundant biomass into high quality meat. Malabari
breed of goats native to Kerala are an admixture of
Jamnapari, Surti and Arab goats (Kaura, 1952).
Mukundan (1980), Stephen and Rai (1995) and
Jithendrakumar (2003) have documented that
average body weight of Malabari and its crosses
Alpine at one year of age was below 23 kg. This
body weight pattern makes Malabari unsuitable for
intensive meat goat breeding. Boer breed of goats
developed in South Africa had growth rate and lean
meat production superior to any other meat breed
(Casey and Niekerk, 1988; Shrestha and Fahmy,
2007). Glimp (1995) projected that Boer goats are
likely to have a significant impact on the meat goat
produ cti on whi ch wil l eventu all y resu lt in
devel opment o f more stru ct ured breedi ng
programmes and an increased interest in meat goat
production. In a study on goat development in
Maharashtra, Nimbkar(2000) reported substantial
superiority of Boer halfbreds over the local goats
up to 6 months of age. With this background
performance of Alpine Malabari which is an
improvement over Malabari in growth rate was
compared with Boer x Alpine Malabari kids up to 6
months of age under humid tropical climate of
Kerala, in an attempt to develop meat goat genotype
suited to the state.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
One hundred go at ki ds, fi fty each
belonging to Alpine Malabari (AM) and Boer x
Alpine Malabari (BAM) formed the animals of study.
Kids were maintained under intensive production
Tamilnadu J. Veterinary & Animal Sciences 7 (3) 204-208, July - August, 2011
system with identical conditions of feeding and
management. Body weights were recorded at
monthly intervals up to six months of age. Effect of
the genetic group, sire, month of birth and sex on
the monthly body weight up to six months were
analyzed using least squares analysis by LSM-
LMW package (Harvey, 1985). The statistical model
was
Yijkm = +bi + Sr j:bi + Sxk + Mm+ e ijkmn
Yijkm - observation of the n th progeny of
i th breed with j th sire nested in i th breed of k th
sex on m th month. , -population mean , bi - Effect
of i th breed , Sr j:bi - effect of j th sire nested in i th
breed, Sxk - Effect of K th sex, Mm - effect of m th
month of birth, e ijkmn - random error.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Least squares mean partitioning the effect
of breed, sire, month of birth and sex on body
weights at first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth
months of age among AM and BAM kids are
presented in Table 1. Effects of genetic group on
body weights were found to be highly significant at
first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth months among AM
and BAM kids (P ?0.01). In all ages BAM kids had
higher body weights compared to AM kids. At first
month, the average weight of BAM kids was 6.01
kg while it was only 2.87 kg in AM kids. At two
months BAM kids weighed 8.92 kg while AM kids
had 3.05 kg. The highly significant superiority of
BAM kids continued during the entire period of
experiment. At third, fourth, fifth and sixth months
BAM kids weighed 11.65, 13.62, 15.74 and 17.8 kg
respectively while the corresponding body weights
of AM kids were 4.5, 5.7, 5.84 and 6.81 kg. The
comparative growth pattern among the two genetic
groups are graphically presented in Fig.1. Results
of the present study on the superiority of Boer half
breds have been reported by Luo et al. (2000) while
205
 Evaluation of body weight....
comparing Boer and Spanish goats. Nimbkar et al.
(2000) found significant superiority in body weight
among Boer half breds in Maharashtra compared to
local goats and reported that Boer half breds weighed
20.8 kg at 6 months. Similar influences of genetic
groups on weight up to six months have been
documented by Stephen and Rai (1995), among
Mlabari, Alpine and Saanen crosses. The significant
superiority of Boer half breds under humid tropical
climate of Kerala has potential to be exploited in
development of meat goat synthetics. This view on
the superiority of Boer inheritance on body weights
while developing meat goat synthetics find support
from the reports of Glimp as early as in 1995 and
recently by Shrestha and Fahmy in 2007. This result
indicates feasibility of Boer breed, to be utilized in
meat goat breeding programmes of the state.
Sire effect was highly significant on the
bodyweights at first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth
months of age. Highest improvement in BW was
noted by sire no. 103 followed by sire no. 109. Sire
no. 103 had only one progeny but its growth rate
was 17.95 kg at 2 months, 26.4 kg at 4 months and
31.81 kg at 6 months of age. Average body weight of
11 progenies of sire no. 109 was 9.5kg at 2 months,
14.2 kg at four months and 18.21 kg at 6 months.
Sanchez et al. (1994) and Goonewardene et al. (1997)
also reported a highly significant sire effect on
growth and carcass quality among Alpine and Boer
goats. Nimbkar et al. (2000) concluded that sire effect
was highly significant among Boer crosses in
Maharashtra. The highly significant influence of sire
on body weight of 6 months obtained in the present
study is in close confirmity with the studies
conducted among Boer crossbreds from different
parts of the world. This finding is suggestive of
additive genetic effect on body weight which is
transmitted from sire to progeny from Boer bucks.
This high genetic value of Boer bucks on body
weight can be exploited in commercial meat goat
206 Tamilnadu J. Veterinary & Animal Sciences 7 (3) 204-208, July - August, 2011
produ cti on. Intensive selecti on among t he
crossbreds with rigorous progeny test and infusion
of high genetic value of Boer buck germplasm
appears to have the potential to transform meat goat
industry in this state.
Month of birth exerted a highly significant
influence on the body weight of kids from first to
six months of age. Kids born in December and
January had highest growth rate from first to six
month of age while the lowest growth rate was seen
in kids born on February. Kids born in December
had an average body weight of 16.89 kg while those
in February had 6.23 kg at six months. Influence of
season and month of birth on the body weight of
ki ds have been repo rted t o be significant
(Sanjeevkumar, et al. 1992 Stephen and Rai (1995),
Singh et al. 2003). The present observation on the
faster growth of kids born on December and January
is in agreement with Stephen and Rai (1995) who
observed that in Kerala, winter born kids had
significantly higher body weight at 6 months. These
results are not in agreement with report of Singh et
al. (2003) and Sanjeevkumar et al. (1992) from North
India. This possibly reflects on the climatological
variations unique to humid tropics of Kerala.
Marykutty and Nandakumar (2000), observed that
temperature humidity index, an index of thermal
stress on animals was lowest during the months of
January and December. This might partly have
contributed to the higher bodyweight among kids
born during December and January. Sex of the kid
was not found to be significant on the body weight
from first to six months of age. The non significant
influence of sex of the kid on body weight is in
agreement with the finding of Stephen and Rai
(1995) from Malabari and its crosses with Alpine
and Saanen. However, Nimbkar et al. (2000) could
find significant influence of sex on body weight
among Boer and local kids in Maharashtra.
 Jeeva et.al.,

Fig.1 Body weight from first to sixth month among AM and B x AM kids under Kerala tropics

Table - 1
Least squares mean partitioning the effect of the breed sires within the breed, month of birth and sex on
body weight (in Kg) at first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth months
Body Body
No. of Body weight Body weight Body weight Body weight
Source weight at weight at
observation at 1st month at 2nd month at 3rd month at 4th month th th
5 month 6 month
Breed 100 P ? 0.0000** P ? 0.0759NS P ? 0.0000** P ? 0.0000** P ? 0.0000** p? 0.0000**
AM 50 2.87 0.34 3.05 0.67 4.30 0.91 5.76 1.03 5.84 1.40 6.81 1.61
BAM 50 6.01 0.20 8.92 0.40 11.65 0.54 13.62 0.62 15.74 0.83 17.79 0.96
Sires 100 P ? 0.0000** P ? .4310NS P ? 0.0000** P ? 0.0000** P ? 0.0000** p? 0.0000**
Sire No. 4 9 2.53 0.53 2.25 0.96 8.88 0.41 5.87 1.45 7.21 2.13 8.46 2.46
Sire No. 8 17 2.44 0.47 2.41 0.84 3.44 1.15 5.04 1.27 6.38 1.87 7.03 2.16
Sire No. 9 17 2.65 0.45 1.43 0.81 1.50 1.11 3.00 1.23 3.81 1.81 4.59 2.09
Sire no. 10 7 2.39 0.47 2.49 0.84 4.35 1.15 5.17 1.30 3.91 1.89 4.78 2.18
Sire No. 1 8.94 1.23 17.95 2.22 23.04 3.03 26.40 3.35 27.57 4.93 31.81 5.70
103
Sire No.104 12 5.76 0.34 8.58 0.62 10.99 0.85 13.67 0.95 15.26 1.40 17.40 1.62
Sire no.106 19 5.96 0.30 8.77 0.55 11.56 0.75 13.30 0.84 14.70 1.24 16.62 1.43
Sire No.107 7 4.78 0.52 5.94 0.94 9.05 1.29 8.99 1.43 12.03 2.10 13.52 2.43
Sire No.109 11 6.39 0.40 9.50 0.72 11.99 0.98 14.20 1.08 16.37 1.60 18.31 1.85
Month of 100 P ? 0.0000** P ? 0.0000** P ? 0.0004** P ? 0.0000** P ? 0.0096** p? 0.0046**
birth
January 17 3.85 0.29 6.13 0.57 8.55 0.78 11.82 0.89 12.25 1.20 13.93 1.38
February 3 4.72 0.65 3.83 1.28 6.39 1.74 5.61 1.97 5.45 2.66 6.23 3.07
April 12 5.57 0.38 8.04 0.74 9.80 1.01 12.11 1.15 12.27 1.55 13.40 1.78
May 21 4.69 0.27 6.61 0.54 8.25 0.73 9.10 0.84 10.76 1.13 12.32 1.30
July 18 3.15 0.33 3.99 0.66 5.17 2.89 7.98 1.02 9.12 1.38 11.01 1.59
December 29 4.62 0.29 7.29 0.59 9.68 0.80 11.52 0.90 14.87 1.22 16.89 1.41
Sex 100 P ? 0.9455NS P ? 0.4658NS P ? 0.2693NS P ? 0.8712NS P ? 0.7877NS P? 0.6080NS
Male 59 4.45 0.16 5.79 0.32 7.84 0.44 9.72 0.50 10.92 0.67 12.57 0.77
Female 41 4.43 0.22 6.18 0.43 8.11 0.58 9.67 0.66 10.66 0.89 12.02 1.02

Tamilnadu J. Veterinary & Animal Sciences 7 (3) 204-208, July - August, 2011 207
 Evaluation of body weight....
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