Article Title
Sustainable Winter-Feeding Practices for Meat Goats Within The Southeastern United States
Abstract
Winter feeding systems were evaluated on male Kiko meat goats against the traditional practice of raising goats in the winter months. Forty-Five Kiko bucks were randomly assigned to one of three treatments; Treatment 1, Treatment 2, and Treatment 3 consisted, respectively, of Cosaque Oats, annual Ryegrass, Crimson Clover mix, and 1.0% of BW concentrate supplementation with free choice hay. Forage clippings were analyzed for dry matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber. Body weights were monitored over the grazing period. Blood samples were collected during the experiment, and animals were slaughtered for the evaluation of carcass traits. Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design using the General Linear Model. Results showed that average daily gain and ribeye area were significantly lower for the control group compared to the other treatments. However, there was no difference in dressing percentage among treatments. Winter forages evaluated performed better than traditional feeding practices.
Recommended Citation
Ryan, Nikisha; Gurung, Nar; Byrant, Jeremy; Abrahamsen, Frank; and McElhenney, Wendell
(2021)
"Sustainable Winter-Feeding Practices for Meat Goats Within The Southeastern United States,"
Professional Agricultural Workers Journal:
Vol. 7:
No.
2, 6.
Available at:
https://tuspubs.tuskegee.edu/pawj/vol7/iss2/6
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Beef Science Commons, Meat Science Commons, Other Animal Sciences Commons, Sheep and Goat Science Commons