Description
In the Southeastern United States, meat goats (Capra hircus hircus) are becoming increasingly important contributors to the income of many small producers. Meat goats perform well in grazing situations if grazing management practices match their grazing behavior. Nevertheless, little research data are available from the region specifically directed toward forage feeding programs for goats reared for meat production. Hart et al. (1993) reported that growing Alpine, Angora and Nubian kids grazed on high quality Triticum aestivum forage gained 50 g/d, whereas Kiesling et al. (1994) reported gains ranging from 65 to 141 g/d in growing Angora goats grazing Secale cereale. This 3-year (YR) grazing study was designed to evaluate the performance of replacement does and wethers grazed on Secale cereale (SC, var. Elbon), Lolium multiflorum (LM, var. Marshall) and Triticum secale (TS, var. Resource Seeds 102).
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Performance of Meat Goats Grazing Winter Annual Grasses in the Piedmont of the Southeastern USA
In the Southeastern United States, meat goats (Capra hircus hircus) are becoming increasingly important contributors to the income of many small producers. Meat goats perform well in grazing situations if grazing management practices match their grazing behavior. Nevertheless, little research data are available from the region specifically directed toward forage feeding programs for goats reared for meat production. Hart et al. (1993) reported that growing Alpine, Angora and Nubian kids grazed on high quality Triticum aestivum forage gained 50 g/d, whereas Kiesling et al. (1994) reported gains ranging from 65 to 141 g/d in growing Angora goats grazing Secale cereale. This 3-year (YR) grazing study was designed to evaluate the performance of replacement does and wethers grazed on Secale cereale (SC, var. Elbon), Lolium multiflorum (LM, var. Marshall) and Triticum secale (TS, var. Resource Seeds 102).
