INFLUENCE OF FEEDING NON-CONVENTIONAL ENERGY SOURCES ON PUBERTAL PHASES, BLOOD METABOLITES AND FATTENING OF ZARAIBI MALE KIDS | ||||
Journal of Animal and Poultry Production | ||||
Article 2, Volume 5, Issue 3, March 2014, Page 127-141 PDF (578.31 K) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/jappmu.2014.69432 | ||||
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Authors | ||||
Behery, H. R.; Khalifa I. E.; Mahrous A. | ||||
Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt. | ||||
Abstract | ||||
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of non-traditional dietary energy as protected fat (PF) and corn steep liquor (CSL) and combination between PF and CSL on upbringing male kids as sires for flock or fattening for marketing. Hence, testis development during pubertal stages, blood metabolites and fattening of Zaraibi male kids were studied. Twenty Zaraibi male kids with an average initial body weight of 15.69 kg and aged 135 days were used. Kids were assigned to four equal groups (N=5 /group) and received non-conventional energy treatments as E1 (control), E2, E3 and E4 contained 10.99, 11.92, 11.63 and 11.96 MJ/kg, respectively. The basal control diet E1 included concentrate feed mixture (CFM) + rice straws (RS). While, E2, E3 and E4 consisted of CFM + RS supplemented with 5% PF, 5% CSL or 2.5% PF + 2.5% CSL, respectively. The stages of age during puberty, changing of body weight, scrotal circumference, testicular volume and testosterone concentration were evaluated during pubertal phases. When kids reached puberty, semen characteristics were investigated. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected to assay glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL concentrations. Moreover, fattening performance was estimated for live body weight, average daily weight gain, dry matter intake, feed conversion ratio, water consumption, feed cost and economical efficiency. The results obtained during all pubertal stages, indicated that the kids which received E4 diet had the highest (P<0.05) testicular growth measurements (scrotal circumference and volume), testosterone levels and semen characteristics compared to the other energy levels. Plasma glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL concentrations did not significantly differ among all energy diets. Also, E4 diet showed a significantly (P<0.05) higher live body weight, average daily weight gain and economical efficiency than kids fed other dietary energy. On the contrary, kids fed E4 achieved lower (P<0.05) dry matter intake, feed conversion ratio, water consumption and feed cost than other kids fed different energy diets. Based on results of the present study, it could be safely concluded that supplemented combination between PF and CSL to male kid rations indicated the best testicular development during pubertal stages, semen characteristics at puberty, blood metabolites and feedlot performance. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Male kid goats; puberty; Growth; non-conventional feed energy | ||||
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