Beetal Goats Breeding By http://www.help4jobs.com/ Breeding Beetal Goats for Optimal Conservation Goals
Beetal is a breed of goats used for meat and milk production found throughout the states of Punjab and Haryana. True-bred animals are, however, found in the districts of Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Ferozepur in Punjab. The Beetal is usually black or red with pendulous ears.The males have long twisting horns. It is considered a good dairy breed, second to Jamnapari in size but is superior to it in that it is more prolific and more easily adaptable to different agro-ecological conditions and to some extent to stall-feeding. The total goat population in Punjab in the year 1977 was 722.1 thousand while it was 278.2 thousand in the year 2003 showing a decline of 61.47%. Thus the goat population in Punjab has shown a progressive decline over the years. Further, this native breed of Punjab is getting diluted and facing degeneration due to indiscriminate interbreeding Goat farming because of low capital investment and quick economic return is a uniquely successful earner of cash for small farmers and landless labours. Goat farming can be well integrated with crop production as an extra source of profit by farmers of small land holding. But before adopting goatry for breeding some intrinsic breeding goals should be fine tuned. The fast dwindling population of Beetal Goats requires a special attention for its conservation in its home tract.
Goats for milk production
In an intensive/semi intensive/extensive system, a Goat farmer should aim for a 12 month kidding to kidding interval, compact kidding period, stable milk production throughout the year, improvement in the number and quality of replacements and improvement in the herd production levels by culling more does on the basis of regular performance recordings, understanding goat reproduction management and how to minimize reproduction failures.
Goats for meat production
A profitable selection and feeding programme must be designed to allow does to reach puberty by 7 months of age and to kid at 12 months of age. Breed, weight, age, nutrition, season of birth and buck stimulus is key elements to puberty in goats. In general, crossbred does reach puberty at younger ages then purebreds. Increasing the overall plane of nutrition generally advances the onset of puberty. Exposing prepubertal does to bucks results in early puberty. Date of first oestrus in the mating season is heritable allowing for selection on the basis of first oestrus. By selecting this trait it should be possible to reduce the percentage of barren yearling goats. Delayed initiation of reproduction activity in young does often prevent them from conceiving in the first year. So before breeding period, it is important to get rid of replacement does with poor conformations, faulty feet and legs, poor udder conformation should be given due considerations.
Breeding strategies
Various mating schemes of animals are classified under two broad categories namely inbreeding and outbreeding. Classification depends on the closeness of the biological relationship between mates. Within each category, a wide variation in intensity of this relationship exists. A very fine line separates the two categories.Mating closely related animals (for example, parent and offspring, full brother and sister or half brother and sister) is inbreeding. A thin line separates Inbreeding and outbreeding. Technically,
inbreeding does not increase the number of recessive alleles but unmasks their expression because of homozygosity. Inbreeding in a population can be measured by Inbreeding coefficient (F) which measures the probability that the alleles at a locus are in an individual are identical by descent or in other terms it is the mating among animals which are more closely related to each other than the average of the population from which they come. Inbreeds arise because of common ancestry. Inbreeding fixes characters whether favorable or not. Early identification of such defects in an inbred line together with rigid culling and moderate inbreeding prevents fixation of genes. Mating between animals less closely related than this constitutes out breeding. Inbreeds are usually less productive, less thrifty and are less fertile. The chances to produce lethality and mortality also increase. Hence in a breeding program of farm animals inbreeding is avoided because this malady produces appearance of genetic defects. Inbreeding, if accompanied by selection increases phenotypic uniformity among animals within an inbred line. But the analogy may not be true if many pair of genes are involved Breeding of goats involves selection. Selection simply means using some goats for reproduction. Selection assures that more desirable goats produce more offspring than less desirable goats. So selection results in productive and predictable gene pool. This is the essence of the value of a purebred animal - predictability of production. Potential problems of inbreeding include loss of general vigor, and especially loss of reproductive performance. In fact inbred resources becomes productive, vigorous, and reproductively sound as the breeding program progresses
Linecrossing
Linecrossing is the crossing of different lines within a breed; As a result, the variability is not as great as a cross between breeds, and less hybrid vigour. This technique can be used to good advantage in certain breeds, such as the Angora goat, where interbreed crossing would make no sense at all. With linecrossing the benefits of crossbreeding can be achieved, without loss of breed character and type.
Comparative performance of inbreeding/linebreeding and outbreeding Trait inbreeding/linebreeding outbreeding
Poor Good but reduces after F1 Poor Good in first cross, then poor Good if non-uniform goats Good to excellent
Uniformity Good Fertility Poor-Good Predictability Good Uniform kid crops Good choice with selection Phenotypic appearance Poor in most cases Growth Moderate at best .
Conclusion
Beetal conservation requires a concrete approach in terms of further breeding to meet conservation goals. Linebreeding for generations result in development of consistent and productive lines. Linebreeding coupled with selection produces uniform goats. It is healthy, for conservation of a breed to have linebreeding and if necessary linecrossing. This allows successful combinations which are developed as the breeding plan progresses. Beetal goat breeders in vitro as well as in vivo require a diversity of approaches and techniques. By www.help4jobs.com