Factors affecting kid survival in five goat breeds

Abstract

Data on 7757 kid's records (2424 Alpine, 1417 Granadina, 2225 Nubian, 1043 Saanen and 648 Toggenburg) were used to study the effect of the breed, sex, litter size, birth weight, dam age, year of birth and birth period (October-January, February, March, April-July) on kid survival rates from 0-15, 16-90 and 91-210 days of age. Survival of kids was in general highest in Granadina and lowest in Toggenburg, while values in the other breeds, tended to be intermediate. Survival in males was lower than in female kids 0-15 and 16-90 d of age (P < 0.001). Kids weighing more than 3 kg at birth had higher survival than those weighing 2 kg or less (P < 0.01). Year and period of birth (P < 0.001) affected all survival rates, and kids born from October to January always showed a higher survival rate than those born from April to July. Breed with birth period, age of dam and birth weight interactions (P < 0.05) indicated a greater sensitivity of Alpines, Saanen and Toggenburg to the above factors.