RESUMO
The present investigation recorded that the average litter size was 2.03 per doe and the prolificacy rate being 202.92%. The result indicates that the litter size proportion for single, twin and triplet were 28.3%, 40.4% and 31.3% respectively. The present study revealed substantial phenotypic variations among the goats bearing single, twin and triplet foetus. Based on stepwise discriminant function to find out month wise phenotypic descriptors, some important linear traits namely Punch girth (PG), Body Weight (BW), Rump Length (RL), Croup Height (CrH), Clearance of Sternum (CS), Distance between Tuber coxae (DTC), Distance between Trochanter major (DTM), Head-Rump Length (HRL), Body Length (BL), Curved Head-Rump Length (HRCL), Heart girth (HG, Pelvic Triangle (PLVT) and Wither Height (WH); were identified to be significant in discriminating the foetal numbers between groups. Out of these, HRL measurement might be considered as one of the best indicator for higher Litter Size (LZ) during the second, third, fourth, fifth parity. Other best suitable phenotypic descriptors like BL, CS, PG, PLVT and BW could be used to predict probable kidding size.
RESUMO
The present investigation recorded that the average litter size was 2.03 per doe and the prolificacy rate being 202.92%. The result indicates that the litter size proportion for single, twin and triplet were 28.3%, 40.4% and 31.3% respectively. There was a tendency of increasing body weight with higher litter size and such variation was highly significant (P<0.01). The result revealed that the overall mean age of first estrus was 209.08±2.06 days. Maximum age of first conception was 226.18±5.39 days when the animal gave single birth and the minimum AC was 216.65±4.9 days when it produced triplet indicating that failure of conception was more in single bearing does. Service period were recorded to very significantly (P<0.01) among different litter bearing groups, the highest value was observed in triplet producing does (80.88±4.68 days). This is an important finding to understand that, less Age of Puberty (AP), Age at 1stConception (AC), Days Open (DO) & Kidding Interval (KI) has prominent benefit for multiple foetuses and thus achieving economic benefit.
RESUMO
Serum hormone level was estimated to find out FSH, LH and total estrogen for all the animals under three treatment groups from 20 to 55 week. The FSH level (from 0.56 to 1.32 ng/ml; 0.91 to 1.91 ng/ml and 0.46 to 1.36 ng/ml for first, second and third treatment group, respectively) was higher in the second group; and third group had lowest level out of the three groups. The serum LH level (0.46 to 1.40 ng/ml and 0.27 to 1.91 ng/dl in first and second treatment group, respectively) showed similar pattern like FSH. The total estrogen was higher in the first treatment group (1.08 to 4.2 pg/ml) than that of the second group (0.14 to 2.30pg/ml) and third group ((0.04 to 2.37 pg/ml)). The serum biochemical profiles of the animals under three groups were estimated by serum glucose, total protein in blood and serum cholesterol levels. The glucose level varied from 65.66 to 77.11, 50.03 to 63.78 and 55.22 to 68.66 mg/dl for the first, second and third group, respectively, with higher value at the time of service. The total protein level did not vary much among the animals under three treatment groups (64.45 to 78.55 g/l). The serum cholesterol level varied between 50.17 to 110.05 mg/dl among all the animals irrespective of groups. During prepubertal period this value was low, but it was higher during pubertal period, time of several other services and towards pregnancy for all groups of animals. Regarding the serum trace mineral status, serum copper level showed higher value from 7 months onwards; serum zinc and iron level were almost similar in first and second group; and the third group showed lower value for all the trace minerals. All the good effects noticed in the first treatment group were due to the non-hormonal factors applied to them through nutrition and buck. The effects in the second group of animals was due to the nutritional effect, whereas, the third group showed poor performance without any support from nutrition and social interaction through buck.