Effects of Castration Age on the Growth Performance of Nubian Crossbred Male Goats

oleh: Yu-An Chen, Jing-Yan Chen, Wei-Qun Chen, Wen-Yen Wang, Hsi-Hsun Wu

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-12-01

Deskripsi

To determine the optimal timing for performing castration on goats, eighteen male Nubian crossbred goats were randomly assigned to two groups and castrated at 3 months and 6 months of age, respectively. Daily dry matter intake, biweekly body weights, and ultrasonic measurements of <i>longissimus dorsi</i> muscle growth were recorded. Results indicated that there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the blood parameter analysis (except testosterone, 0.36 ± 0.26 vs. 3.61 ± 0.27 ng/mL at 25 weeks old), economic analysis, and growth performance, including final body weight, total weight gain, average daily gain, total dry-matter intake, and feed conversion ratio (<i>p</i> > 0.05). However, the <i>longissimus dorsi</i> muscle depth of goats castrated at 6 months of age was significantly higher than that of goats castrated at 3 months of age. In conclusion, castration timing does not have a significant effect on the growth performance of goats; therefore, castrating goats at 3 months of age may be the best practice considering animal welfare and possible risks associated with late castration.