Market weight and carcass characteristics of intact yearling afar goats under semi-intensive feeding management

This study was conducted at Werer Agricultural Research Center with the objective to investigate the effect of diets on growth and carcass characteristics and to identify the economic ration and duration required to meet the market body weight (25 to 30 kg) of Afar goats under semi- intensive feeding management. Grazing goat kids were supplemented with a concentrate mix composed of 75% Leucaena leaf (LL) hay (300 g/day per head): 25% wheat bran (WB) (100 g/day per head) for T1, 50% LL hay (200 g/day per head): 50% WB (200 g/day per head) for T2 and 25% LL hay (100 g/day per head): 75% WB (300 g/day per head) for T3. No supplementation provided for goats in the control group (T4). Accordingly, goats that received T2 had significantly higher (P<0.05) total dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) intake than supplemented goats in the remaining dietary treatments. As a result, the average daily weight gain of goats maintained under T2 found significantly higher (P<0.001) than those of treatments and control groups. Moreover, supplementation after grazing with WB and LL hay mixture tend to have increased live weight (P<0.001), carcass yield (P<0.01) and carcass characteristics (P<0.01) of experimental goat kids. Supplemented yearling goats attained slaughter weight in a range of 28 to 30 kg within about 168 days from the start of the experiment period as compared to the 24 kg weight recorded for goat kids managed as control group. Besides, 25 and 50% WB concentrate supplementation after grazing provides more profit than 75% WB and grazing without supplementation of yearling Afar goat. Key words: Afar goat, semi-intensive, wheat bran, leucaena leaf, supplement feeding, carcass yield.