Present study was conducted to investigate the effect of different floor space allowances on performance and behavior of Beetal kids from 3 to 6 months of age. Twenty four spring born Beetal kids (3 month old) were randomly divided in to four groups (n=6 each group) on the basis of space allowances i.e. 0.6 m 2 , 0.7 m 2 , 0.8 m 2 and 0.9 m 2 covered area and 1.2 m 2 , 1.4 m 2 , 1.6 m 2 and 1.8 m 2 open area per kid. The results indicated that most of the performance parameters i.e. body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were marginally higher with higher space allowance, but these did not differ statistically. However behavioural activities like moving, exploring pen, grooming and resting were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in large space allowance groups whereas, eating, standing and negative social interactions were significantly better (p < 0.05) in lower floor space allowance groups. It is concluded that the increase in floor space allowance had favorable effect on the performance and behavior of Beetal kids.
With an objective to reduce the weaning stress through improved body reserves, 24 Beetal kids weighing 3-4 kg, ageing 5 days, were randomly distributed in three treatments i.e. W 2:3 (Soybean oil at 3% of concentrate feed of up to 2 months and by-pass fat at 3% thereafter for 3 months), W 3:2 (Soybean oil up to 3 months and by-pass fat for 2 months at same dose of W 2:3 ) and W 0:0 (No additional supplementation, Control). Different observations like milk, feed, fodder intake and body weight were recorded for 150 days. The concentrate feed intake was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in W 2:3 and W 3:2 group than control. Average daily gain (ADG) was 22.98% and 15.53% higher in W 2:3 and W 3:2 over control (W 0:0 ), respectively. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) was slightly higher in control than other two treatment groups. It was concluded that supplementing diet with soybean oil for 2 months and by-pass fat for 3 months from birth at the rate of 3% of feed could be a suitable strategy for improving the body reserve of kids as well as for getting better performance in terms of body weight, ADG and FCR.
In total, 15 Beetal bucks having an average age of 893.53 52.91 days weighing 50.21 1.75 kg were randomly distributed into three groups to assess the effect of zinc supplementation on faecal oocyst load under stall-fed conditions. Bucks under treatment groups were supplemented with either organic (T1) or inorganic (T2) Zn formulated ration to get Zn concentration of 50 mg per kg DM against negative control (T0) on basal diet with no additional Zn supplementation for a period of 120 days. Zn supplementation improved plasma Zn and maintained higher live body weight (kg) in T1 and T2 against the control. Bucks in T1 and T2 shed significantly (p 0.05) less oocysts in 1 g of faeces (22.8 and 24.1%, respectively) compared to the control (53.1%) without any clinical symptoms. It was therefore, concluded that supplementation of Zn can improve performance of Beetal bucks under stall-fed by reducing the subclinical coccidiosis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.