Benchmarks of Victorian commercial goat meat enterprises

The Australian goat meat industry has mostly processed feral goats for export. As goat meat markets mature there will be an increased demand for farmed goats to meet supply, especially into niche markets. Production benchmarking showed that Victorian commercial goat meat producers are located generally in areas with <500 mm rainfall, usually in conjunction with other livestock and cropping enterprises. On average, 67% of farm area, equal to 701 ha (range 55 – 4400 ha) was allocated to the goat enterprise. Commercial producers used Boer bucks, at an average mating rate of 2.2%, over Boer X or feral X does. Weaning rates averaged 99% (range 51 - 165%). There was a large range in husbandry ($0 - $3.07) and supplementary feeding ($6.75 - $9.60) expenditure. Fifty percent of producers indicated that they carried out regular faecal egg counts to assess worm burdens. Seasonal supply patterns showed that producers were supplying Christmas and Easter markets with a live weight range of 12 - 40 kg and an overall average live weight of 26 kg. The issues of concern identified by commercial growers were: internal parasitism, doe fertility, kid predation, kid growth rates, Johnes disease, and fencing security. This study indicated that there is considerable scope to improve the productivity of the Victorian commercial goat meat industry. Most producers supply smaller carcases on a strong seasonal basis. This supply pattern inhibits industry development.

Influence of energy and polymer-escapsulated methionine supplements on mohair growth and fibre diameter of Angora goats fed at maintenance

We studied the fleece production of Angora wether goats provided with energy, to maintain liveweight, and polymer-encapsulated methionine while they were fed on poor quality roughage rations in early summer. Forty goats (mean fleece-free liveweight 28.5 kg) were randomly allotted to 5 treatments and housed individually for 12 weeks. The treatments were: control, fed to lose 5 kg liveweight; M, fed to maintain liveweight; and 3 maintenance rations with either 0.5, 1 or 2 g day-1 of polymer-encapsulated methionine. The basal ration was oaten chaff (56.8% digestible dry matter) and all maintenance- fed goats received a supplement of 150 g day- 1 gristed barley. Goats required an estimated 267 kJ ME kg-0.75 day-1 to maintain liveweight. Goats fed the control diet grew less mohair (P<0.05) with reduced mean fibre diameter (P< 0.05) than maintenance-fed goats (4.9 g day-1, 30.0 pm compared with 5.8 g day-1, 31.9 pm). For maintenance-fed animals, the addition of 1 g day- methionine (0.15% of dry matter intake) increased mohair growth by 0.8g day-1 (P<0.075). Feeding barley to prevent liveweight loss and feeding polymer-encapsulated methionine at maintenance is unlikely to result in economic responses in mohair production of goats grazing low quality summer pastures

Effects of different nutritional regimens on the productivity of Australian Cashmere goats and the partitioning of nutrients between cashmere and hair growth

The influence of energy or protein supplementation or energy restriction on cashmere growth was studied in 35 highly productive cashmere wether goats. The goats were shorn on 3 December and randomly allocated to 3 levels of energy intake: M, goats fed to maintain liveweight; 0.8M, goats fed to lose 5 kg liveweight from December to April and then fed ad libitum; and >M, goats fed to gain liveweight. Nested within >M were ADLIB (goats offered feed ad libitum), and 1.25M and l.5M (goats fed M plus 25 or 50% of the difference in mean intake between M and ADLIB). The metabolisable energy requirement to maintain liveweight was 250 kJ kg-0.75 day-1 but to maintain body condition (l.25M) it was 3 12 kJ kg-0.75 day-1. Goats fed 0.8M had a mean intake of 0.68M and lost 26 g day-1 liveweight until April, but when fed ad libitum consumed 2.15M in June and grew rapidly in late autumn and winter at 93 g day-1. Goats fed ADLIB consumed 2.30M in February and gained 87 g day-1 from December to February, but intake declined to 1.61 M in June and they gained 20 g day-1 from April to June. Cashmere growth and fibre diameters of fleeces shorn on 17 June of goats fed >M (221g, 17.69 pm) were significantly greater (P< 0.02) than those of goats fed 0.8M (146 g, 16.67 ¦m), with levels of M-fed goats being intermediate. Within >M, there were no significant differences in cashmere growth. Protein supplementation within M (27 or 54 g day -1 formaldehyde- treated casein) resulted in 40% more wool growth in sheep (P<0.001), but no increase in cashmere or hair growth in goats. Goats fed ADLIB had significantly reduced cashmere yields (P < 0.05) and grew more hair (P<0.05) than did goats in other treatments. About 4 weeks after energy supplementation, fibre diameter of previously energy-deprived goats increased (P< 0.01). Midside patches indicated that energy-deprived goats, which lost liveweight, diverted nutrients preferentially to cashmere growth, while goats fed ADLIB partitioned nutrients towards hair growth. To maximise cashmere growth, supplementary energy should be supplied to avoid liveweight loss from December to April. Goats that had small (1-2 kg) liveweight gains and maintained body condition achieved near maximal levels of cashmere growth.