EFFECTS OF DIETARY PROTEIN CONCENTRATION AND FEEDING LEVEL ON GROWTH AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF BLACK BENGAL COATS

Abstract

Twelve castrated male Black Bengal goats of 10.3 kg live-weight (8 months old) were used in a 2x2 factorial arrangement to study the effects of dietary crude protein concentration [20.3% (HP) and 16.9% (LP)] and feeding level [(ad libilum and 85% ad Iibilum (restrictcd)] on growth and carcass characteristics. Ad libilum feeding, on average, significantly (P<.05 to P<.01) increased daily live weight (6.27 v. - 5.87 g), dry matter intake (409 v. 351 gld), estimated gain in carcass (0.195 v. - 0.20 kg) and empty body weight (0.387 v. » 0.353 kg), chemically extracted fat in meat sample (6.89 v. 6.48%), depth of nr. longissimus darsi (22.1 v. 18.3 mm) and gut and caul fat (170 v. 125 g) compared with restricted feeding regime. The greater intake of dietary protein from the HP diet resulted in significantly (P<.05 to P<.01) greater values for depth (20.9 v. 19.5 mm) and width (32.4 v. 27.9 mm) of m. longissimus dorsi, gut and caul fat (188 v. 107 g) and also perirenal and retroperitoneal fat (84.8 v. 50.3 g) than those that received the LP diet. Similarly, the 1-11> diet had significantly (P<.05 to P<.01) higher
values for CP digestibility and DCP concentration than those of the LP diet. The results indicated that growth rate and carcass gain were highest in goats fed the HP diet ad libirum and therefore, diet containing 20.3% CP may be suggested for feeding growing goats.