EFFECT OF FATTENING PERIOD ON GROWTH RATE AND CARCASS CHARACTRISTICS OF MERIZ AND BLACK GOATS

ABSTRACT
This study was carried out at the Animal Farm, Animal Production Department,
College of Agriculture, University of Duhok, where 10 Meriz goats averaged 13.65 kg
weight and 3-4 months old and 10 Black goats averaged 30.3 kg weight and 6 months
old were randomly divided into two groups and allocated to be fattened for either 90 or
150 days.
Result revealed that the daily gain, feed efficiency, dressing percentage based
on live body weight, rib eye area and fat thickness, lean, fat and bone percentage
averaged 98.73gm, 5.12 kg/kg, 46.96%, 9.44cm2, 1.15 mm, 64.07%, 16.89 % and 19.02
% respectively for Meriz, while the corresponding values for Black goat were 75.58
gm, 6.43 kg/kg, 49.42 %, 12.47 cm2, 1.75 mm, 63.73 %, 16.82 % and 19.44 %,
respectively. No significant differences between 90 and 150 days fattening period was
observed in all studied traits except some commercial cuts.