OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS

           

home

about us

journals

search

African Journal of Agricultural Research

     

   AJAR Home

   About AJAR

   Submit Manuscripts

   Instructions for Authors

   Editors

   Call For Paper

   Archive

   Faculty 1000

   Conferences

   Associations

Afr. J. Agric. Res.


Vol. 6 No. 2
9



Viewing options:


 • Abstract
 • Full text
 • Reprint (PDF) (61k)

Search Pubmed for articles by:

 

Akpa GN

Garba Y

 

 

 

 

 


Other links:

PubMed Citation

Related articles in PubMed

Related Journals

Journal of Cell & Animal Biology

African Journal  of Environmental Science & Technology

Biotechnology & Molecular Biology Reviews

African Journal of Biochemistry Research

African Journal of Microbiology Research

African Journal of Pure & Applied Chemistry

African Journal of Food Science

African Journal of Biotechnology

African Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmacology

African Journal of Plant Science

Journal of Medicinal Plant Research

International Journal of Physical Sciences

Scientific Research and Essays

 

African Journal of Agricultural Research Vol. 6(29), pp. 6212-6216, 5 December, 2011

Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/AJAR

DOI: 10.5897/AJAR11.365

ISSN 1991-637X ©2011 Academic Journals

 

 

Full Length Research Paper

 

Relationship between litter size and parity of doe in smallholder goat herds in Kano and its environs, Nigeria

 

G. N. Akpa1*, C. Alphonsus1 S. Y. Dalha, H. Yakubu2 and Y. Garba2

 

1Animal Science Department, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.

2Animal Science Department, Bayaro University, Kano, Nigeria.

 

*Corresponding author. E-mail: nwakpah2010@gmail.com  or  nwakpah@yahoo.com

 

Accepted 30 September, 2011

 

 Abstract

 

The parity and litter size of 116 does from 22 randomly selected herds were surveyed to determine the relationship between herd size, parity and litter size of smallholder goat herds. The study revealed that the average parity and litter size of smallholder goat herds was 2.7 and 1.7, respectively with a herd size of 15.0 goats. Majority of the breeding does were within the herd size of 11 to 20 goats (53.4%) followed by ≤ 10 goats (30.2%) and least, 21 to 30 goats (16.4%). Most of the breeding does were within the 1st and 3rd parity (74.2%) and a good number within the 4th and 6th parity (25%), while extremely few of the breeding does go beyond parity 6 (0.8%). Although the farmers started culling the does after the 2nd parity, majority of the does are culled after the 4th parity. Relating the distribution of the breeding does with their parity and litter size showed that single bearing does could remain in the herds up to parity 5 but with the number decreasing with increase in parity. Twinning does existed up to parity 6 with majority of the twin bearing does observed at parity 2 declining thereafter up to parity 5 with the peak at parity 3. Does giving birth to quadruplets continue to remain in the herd; however this litter size was attained at much latter parity by the does. Herd size was not significantly correlated with parity and litter size (P>0.05; r = 0.01 -0.09). However, litter size was significantly and positively correlated with parity (P<0.01; r=0.49). The results presented seem to indicate that parity is an important factor in the evaluation of litter size in goats and multiple births could be achieved with good breeding plan and better management practices.

 

Key words: Goats, herd size, litter size, parity, smallholder herd.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Advertise on AJAR | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Help

© Academic Journals 2002 - 2011