Weaning weight and raw fleece yield of maraz cashmere goat in Iraqi Kurdistan

Abstract EN

Effects of sex, age, coat color, kidding status, season of kidding and number of kids rearing on raw fleece yield and body dimensions were studied.

Furthermore, effects of sex, type of birth, season of birth, kid coat color and age of does were also investigated on weaning weight.

The statistical analyses of this study were based on 123 adult (10 males and 113 females) and 84 kids from Maraz Cashmere goat in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The results revealed that overall means of raw fleece yield of goats estimated to be 1.43 kg for males and 0.866 kg for females.

Sex, age of does, coat colors and kidding status significantly influenced fleece weight and heart girth.

Overall means of weaning weight of kids was 13.256 kg.

Sex, season of birth, kid coat colors, and age of does significantly influenced weaning weight of kids.

Age had a significant positive effect on raw fleece yield and body dimensions.

Kidding status had significant effects (p < 0.01) on raw fleece yield, but non-kidding does gave higher yield.

Male kids, with dark brown coat color, born in spring from does of 4-5 years old gave higher weaning weight at 4 months.

Percentages of fertility, conception, twining rates, barrenness, productivity as well as letter size at weaning of Maraz goat were 84.043, 86.17, 12.658, 13.829, 89.362 and 1.063, respectively.

The overall means for oblique body length, heart girth in adults male and female were (54.5 and 51.27 cm and 73.5 and 68.48 cm), respectively.

The correlation coefficients among oblique body length, heart girth and raw fleece yield were higher correlation between body dimension and raw fleece yield was found, the highest correlation recorded between heart girth and raw fleece yield was arrived 0.41.

The estimated best linear unbiased prediction of does for the total kids weaned and raw fleece yield ranged from -6.194 to 18.145 kg and -0.712 to 0.988 kg, respectively.

Genetic-Economic index based on multiple traits (total kids weaned and raw fleece yield) of all Maraz does under investigation ranged from 11.332 to 280.391 $.

Frequency in offspring, for light brown coat increased from 0.479 in parents to 0.655 in offspring.

In conclusion above results showed the Maraz goat have good production and performance traits and the selection process play positively role to improvement productive traits.

For that the improvement this type necessary by opening breeding stations to development Maraz goat in this region of Iraq.