Original research article
The Effect of the Body Condition Score at Artificial Insemination on Prolificacy Traits in Slovenian Alpine Goats
2017, 82 (3) p. 249-253
Abstract
In this study, the body condition score (BCS) of 55 Slovenian Alpine goats at artificial insemination was recorded over a period of two years. The effect of the doe BCS at insemination on the litter size at birth, the number of weaned kids, the birth weight of the kids, and the interval between parities was studied. The BCS at artificial insemination significantly affected the litter size at birth (P < 0.001) and, the number of weaned kids (P < 0.05). The number of kids born and weaned per doe was the highest in does with a BCS of 2.0 and 2.5 compared to does with a BCS of 1.5, 3.0 or 3.5. The results suggest an optimum BCS between 2.0 and 2.5 at insemination or mating to achieve a higher litter size per female. The birth weight of the kids differed significantly depending on the BCS of the does (P < 0.05) with the highest birth weight occurring in the kids of does with a BCS of 3.5, 3.0 and 1.5. Considering all these results, body condition scoring could be an effective method for the goat breeders to optimally manage body reserves and thus increase the production efficiency in terms of prolificacy in their flocks.
Keywords
Slovenian Alpine goat, BCS, artificial insemination, litter size, birth weight, prolificacy
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