Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activi... more Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activity, thereby influencing the spring growth phase and yield of cashmere. Female Spanish goats (15 does and 65 kids) were allotted to five treatments: control (C), melatonin implants (MI; 18mg, 42-day release); melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MIB; 225mg, 60-day release period); oral administration of melatonin (MO; 3mg/day); oral administration of melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MOB). Treatments began in March (spring), and hair follicle characteristics were monitored monthly from February to May. Mean initial and final body weights were 27.9±1.2 and 35.3±1.2kg, respectively. The total follicle number was greater (P<0.05) for the MOB group, compared to the C group in April, while in May the total follicle number was greater (P<0.05) for the MIB group, compared to the C and MO groups. Secondary follicle numbers were greater (P<0.05) for the MIB than for C and MO and for MOB versus C, MI and MO groups (P<0.05). The primary active follicle percentage was correlated (P<0.001) to the secondary active follicle percentage (r=0.32), and the correlation (P<0.01) between secondary active follicle percentage and mean cashmere fiber diameter was r=0.31. The primary active follicle ratio did not differ between treatments, but the secondary active follicle ratio was greater (P<0.01) for treatments with melatonin administration, compared to the control in March, April and May. Primary follicle numbers, secondary follicle numbers, total follicle numbers, secondary to primary follicle ratio, primary follicle diameter, secondary follicle and primary to secondary follicle diameter ratio averaged 3.9±0.15mm2, 26.8±1.22mm2, 30.8±1.31mm2, 7.0:1±0.23, 74.0±2.87μm, 15.6±0.19μm and 4.7:1±0.18, respectively. Positive correlations were recorded (P<0.001) for follicular characteristics, such as the secondary follicle number with total follicle number (r=0.99), secondary to primary ratio (r=0.68), group follicle number (r=0.63) and group secondary to primary follicle ratio (r=0.63), and primary follicle diameter with primary secondary diameter ratio (r=0.96). Negative correlations were recorded (P<0.01), for primary follicle number with primary follicle diameter (r=−0.42), secondary follicle diameter (r=−0.33) with secondary and primary follicle ratio (r=−0.48), and primary follicle number with primary and secondary diameter ratio (r=−0.33). Of the follicular groupings, 90% were of the trio primary follicle type, whereas the remaining 10% were of the solo, duo and quartet primary follicular group formations. All primary follicles possessed medullae and some secondary marginal follicles (intermediate type) were medullated, but few follicles of the pure cashmere follicle type had medullae. Hair follicles varied from low, moderate to high density in Spanish goats. Fiber growth rate, fiber diameter and extended follicular activity rate during the spring months suggest that an accelerated breeding program for Spanish goats by melatonin treatment for breeding in the spring could be also profitable by extending the spring cashmere growth phase into a commercially harvestable cashmere length.
Goat research in the United States has increased but at a rate less than that in production. Rese... more Goat research in the United States has increased but at a rate less than that in production. Research on goat meat includes nutritional quality, packaging, color, sensory characteristics, and preslaughter management. Goat skins have value for leather, but quality of goat leather has not been extensively studied. Research in the production, quality, antibiotic residues, and sensory characteristics of goat milk and its products has aided development of the US dairy goat industry. Limited progress has been made in genetic improvement of milk or meat production. There is need to explore applications of genomics and proteomics and improve consistency in texture and functionality of goat cheeses. New goat meat and milk products are needed to increase demand and meet the diverse tastes of the American public. Despite research progress in control of mohair and cashmere growth, erratic prices and sale of raw materials have contributed to further declines in US production. Innovative and cooperative ventures are needed for profit sharing up to the consumer level. Internal parasites pose the greatest challenge to goat production in humid areas largely because of anthelmintic resistance. Study of alternative controls is required, including immunity enhancement via nutrition, vaccination, pasture management such as co-grazing with cattle, and genetic resistance. Similarly, the importance of health management is increasing related in part to a lack of effective vaccines for many diseases. Nutrition research should address requirements for vitamins and minerals, efficiencies of protein utilization, adjusting energy requirements for nutritional plane, acclimatization, and grazing conditions, feed intake prediction, and management practices for rapid-growth production systems. Moreover, efficient technology transfer methods are needed to disseminate current knowledge and that gained in future research.
Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activi... more Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activity, thereby influencing the spring growth phase and yield of cashmere. Female Spanish goats (15 does and 65 kids) were allotted to five treatments: control (C), melatonin implants (MI; 18mg, 42-day release); melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MIB; 225mg, 60-day release period); oral administration of melatonin (MO; 3mg/day); oral administration of melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MOB). Treatments began in March (spring), and hair follicle characteristics were monitored monthly from February to May. Mean initial and final body weights were 27.9±1.2 and 35.3±1.2kg, respectively. The total follicle number was greater (P<0.05) for the MOB group, compared to the C group in April, while in May the total follicle number was greater (P<0.05) for the MIB group, compared to the C and MO groups. Secondary follicle numbers were greater (P<0.05) for the MIB than for C and MO and for MOB versus C, MI and MO groups (P<0.05). The primary active follicle percentage was correlated (P<0.001) to the secondary active follicle percentage (r=0.32), and the correlation (P<0.01) between secondary active follicle percentage and mean cashmere fiber diameter was r=0.31. The primary active follicle ratio did not differ between treatments, but the secondary active follicle ratio was greater (P<0.01) for treatments with melatonin administration, compared to the control in March, April and May. Primary follicle numbers, secondary follicle numbers, total follicle numbers, secondary to primary follicle ratio, primary follicle diameter, secondary follicle and primary to secondary follicle diameter ratio averaged 3.9±0.15mm2, 26.8±1.22mm2, 30.8±1.31mm2, 7.0:1±0.23, 74.0±2.87μm, 15.6±0.19μm and 4.7:1±0.18, respectively. Positive correlations were recorded (P<0.001) for follicular characteristics, such as the secondary follicle number with total follicle number (r=0.99), secondary to primary ratio (r=0.68), group follicle number (r=0.63) and group secondary to primary follicle ratio (r=0.63), and primary follicle diameter with primary secondary diameter ratio (r=0.96). Negative correlations were recorded (P<0.01), for primary follicle number with primary follicle diameter (r=−0.42), secondary follicle diameter (r=−0.33) with secondary and primary follicle ratio (r=−0.48), and primary follicle number with primary and secondary diameter ratio (r=−0.33). Of the follicular groupings, 90% were of the trio primary follicle type, whereas the remaining 10% were of the solo, duo and quartet primary follicular group formations. All primary follicles possessed medullae and some secondary marginal follicles (intermediate type) were medullated, but few follicles of the pure cashmere follicle type had medullae. Hair follicles varied from low, moderate to high density in Spanish goats. Fiber growth rate, fiber diameter and extended follicular activity rate during the spring months suggest that an accelerated breeding program for Spanish goats by melatonin treatment for breeding in the spring could be also profitable by extending the spring cashmere growth phase into a commercially harvestable cashmere length.
Spanish wether and doeling kids (4.5 months of age; 13.4kg initial BW) were used to determine inf... more Spanish wether and doeling kids (4.5 months of age; 13.4kg initial BW) were used to determine influences of different quality diets consumed continuously or after a lower quality diet on characteristics of growth. The experiment consisted of two 9-week periods. Diets were low quality forage (L, prairie hay supplemented with soybean meal), high quality forage (H, dehydrated alfalfa pellets) and
... diet formulated for the Langston University Meat Buck Performance Test; the ingredient and ch... more ... diet formulated for the Langston University Meat Buck Performance Test; the ingredient and chemical composition of the diet was given in Gipson et al ... 0.06 kg per day, with DM consumption of 1.63 ± 0.32 kg per day, which was consistent with Van Niekerk and Casey (1988) who ...
Goats and sheep often graze together and guardian dogs are commonly used for protection from pred... more Goats and sheep often graze together and guardian dogs are commonly used for protection from predators. The objective of this experiment was to characterise how goats, sheep and guardian dogs interact spatially when grazing the same pasture by use of global positioning system (GPS) collars as an unobtrusive means of behaviour monitoring. In 2002 and 2003, three meat goats and two sheep in a group of 12 of each species were randomly chosen and, along with a guard dog, fitted with GPS collars. Minimum distance travelled between consecutive 30-min fixes and distance between any two animals at the same fix time were calculated using spherical geometry. In 2002, the dog travelled the least between fixes during the day but more at night than either goats or sheep. However, in 2003, there was not a significant species difference in distance travelled in 24 h or during the day or night. All species travelled significantly more during day than night but none were stationary at night. Distance amongst goats and between sheep tended to be greater during day than night; distance between goats and sheep was greater than the distance amongst goats or between sheep. Hence, goats and sheep interacted as two separate entities rather than as one large herd/flock. Distance between the dog and goats was closer than between the dog and sheep, indicating a clear preference of the dog for goats that could relate to a difference in previous exposure to the two species. In summary, based on these findings protection by a guardian dog would be greater for a small group of goats than sheep and much greater than for a mixed species group. Or, with a large group of grazing animals, the number of dogs required for a certain level of protection would rank goats < sheep < mixture of goats and sheep.
Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activi... more Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activity, thereby influencing the spring growth phase and yield of cashmere. Female Spanish goats (15 does and 65 kids) were allotted to five treatments: control (C), melatonin implants (MI; 18mg, 42-day release); melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MIB; 225mg, 60-day release period); oral administration of melatonin (MO; 3mg/day); oral administration of melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MOB). Treatments began in March (spring), and hair follicle characteristics were monitored monthly from February to May. Mean initial and final body weights were 27.9±1.2 and 35.3±1.2kg, respectively. The total follicle number was greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MOB group, compared to the C group in April, while in May the total follicle number was greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MIB group, compared to the C and MO groups. Secondary follicle numbers were greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MIB than for C and MO and for MOB versus C, MI and MO groups (P&lt;0.05). The primary active follicle percentage was correlated (P&lt;0.001) to the secondary active follicle percentage (r=0.32), and the correlation (P&lt;0.01) between secondary active follicle percentage and mean cashmere fiber diameter was r=0.31. The primary active follicle ratio did not differ between treatments, but the secondary active follicle ratio was greater (P&lt;0.01) for treatments with melatonin administration, compared to the control in March, April and May. Primary follicle numbers, secondary follicle numbers, total follicle numbers, secondary to primary follicle ratio, primary follicle diameter, secondary follicle and primary to secondary follicle diameter ratio averaged 3.9±0.15mm2, 26.8±1.22mm2, 30.8±1.31mm2, 7.0:1±0.23, 74.0±2.87μm, 15.6±0.19μm and 4.7:1±0.18, respectively. Positive correlations were recorded (P&lt;0.001) for follicular characteristics, such as the secondary follicle number with total follicle number (r=0.99), secondary to primary ratio (r=0.68), group follicle number (r=0.63) and group secondary to primary follicle ratio (r=0.63), and primary follicle diameter with primary secondary diameter ratio (r=0.96). Negative correlations were recorded (P&lt;0.01), for primary follicle number with primary follicle diameter (r=−0.42), secondary follicle diameter (r=−0.33) with secondary and primary follicle ratio (r=−0.48), and primary follicle number with primary and secondary diameter ratio (r=−0.33). Of the follicular groupings, 90% were of the trio primary follicle type, whereas the remaining 10% were of the solo, duo and quartet primary follicular group formations. All primary follicles possessed medullae and some secondary marginal follicles (intermediate type) were medullated, but few follicles of the pure cashmere follicle type had medullae. Hair follicles varied from low, moderate to high density in Spanish goats. Fiber growth rate, fiber diameter and extended follicular activity rate during the spring months suggest that an accelerated breeding program for Spanish goats by melatonin treatment for breeding in the spring could be also profitable by extending the spring cashmere growth phase into a commercially harvestable cashmere length.
ABSTRACT Female Alpine goats, 18 approximately 17 months of age (yearling) and 18 approximately 5... more ABSTRACT Female Alpine goats, 18 approximately 17 months of age (yearling) and 18 approximately 5-month-old (growing), were used in an experiment to determine effects of animal age, urea dose (100, 130, and 160mg/kg BW), and time without feed and water (shrink; 0, 16, and 24h) on urea space (US) estimates. A 20% (w/v) urea solution was infused into a jugular vein, with blood sampled before infusion and every 3min to 21min. BW was 49.8, 47.4, and 47.0kg for yearlings and 26.1, 24.6, and 23.9kg for growing animals after 0, 16, and 24h shrinks, respectively (S.E.=0.80). Time of urea equilibration with body water, determined by a grafted polynomial quadratic–linear model, was affected by a dose×age×shrink interaction (P
Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activi... more Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activity, thereby influencing the spring growth phase and yield of cashmere. Female Spanish goats (15 does and 65 kids) were allotted to five treatments: control (C), melatonin implants (MI; 18mg, 42-day release); melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MIB; 225mg, 60-day release period); oral administration of melatonin (MO; 3mg/day); oral administration of melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MOB). Treatments began in March (spring), and hair follicle characteristics were monitored monthly from February to May. Mean initial and final body weights were 27.9±1.2 and 35.3±1.2kg, respectively. The total follicle number was greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MOB group, compared to the C group in April, while in May the total follicle number was greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MIB group, compared to the C and MO groups. Secondary follicle numbers were greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MIB than for C and MO and for MOB versus C, MI and MO groups (P&lt;0.05). The primary active follicle percentage was correlated (P&lt;0.001) to the secondary active follicle percentage (r=0.32), and the correlation (P&lt;0.01) between secondary active follicle percentage and mean cashmere fiber diameter was r=0.31. The primary active follicle ratio did not differ between treatments, but the secondary active follicle ratio was greater (P&lt;0.01) for treatments with melatonin administration, compared to the control in March, April and May. Primary follicle numbers, secondary follicle numbers, total follicle numbers, secondary to primary follicle ratio, primary follicle diameter, secondary follicle and primary to secondary follicle diameter ratio averaged 3.9±0.15mm2, 26.8±1.22mm2, 30.8±1.31mm2, 7.0:1±0.23, 74.0±2.87μm, 15.6±0.19μm and 4.7:1±0.18, respectively. Positive correlations were recorded (P&lt;0.001) for follicular characteristics, such as the secondary follicle number with total follicle number (r=0.99), secondary to primary ratio (r=0.68), group follicle number (r=0.63) and group secondary to primary follicle ratio (r=0.63), and primary follicle diameter with primary secondary diameter ratio (r=0.96). Negative correlations were recorded (P&lt;0.01), for primary follicle number with primary follicle diameter (r=−0.42), secondary follicle diameter (r=−0.33) with secondary and primary follicle ratio (r=−0.48), and primary follicle number with primary and secondary diameter ratio (r=−0.33). Of the follicular groupings, 90% were of the trio primary follicle type, whereas the remaining 10% were of the solo, duo and quartet primary follicular group formations. All primary follicles possessed medullae and some secondary marginal follicles (intermediate type) were medullated, but few follicles of the pure cashmere follicle type had medullae. Hair follicles varied from low, moderate to high density in Spanish goats. Fiber growth rate, fiber diameter and extended follicular activity rate during the spring months suggest that an accelerated breeding program for Spanish goats by melatonin treatment for breeding in the spring could be also profitable by extending the spring cashmere growth phase into a commercially harvestable cashmere length.
Goat research in the United States has increased but at a rate less than that in production. Rese... more Goat research in the United States has increased but at a rate less than that in production. Research on goat meat includes nutritional quality, packaging, color, sensory characteristics, and preslaughter management. Goat skins have value for leather, but quality of goat leather has not been extensively studied. Research in the production, quality, antibiotic residues, and sensory characteristics of goat milk and its products has aided development of the US dairy goat industry. Limited progress has been made in genetic improvement of milk or meat production. There is need to explore applications of genomics and proteomics and improve consistency in texture and functionality of goat cheeses. New goat meat and milk products are needed to increase demand and meet the diverse tastes of the American public. Despite research progress in control of mohair and cashmere growth, erratic prices and sale of raw materials have contributed to further declines in US production. Innovative and cooperative ventures are needed for profit sharing up to the consumer level. Internal parasites pose the greatest challenge to goat production in humid areas largely because of anthelmintic resistance. Study of alternative controls is required, including immunity enhancement via nutrition, vaccination, pasture management such as co-grazing with cattle, and genetic resistance. Similarly, the importance of health management is increasing related in part to a lack of effective vaccines for many diseases. Nutrition research should address requirements for vitamins and minerals, efficiencies of protein utilization, adjusting energy requirements for nutritional plane, acclimatization, and grazing conditions, feed intake prediction, and management practices for rapid-growth production systems. Moreover, efficient technology transfer methods are needed to disseminate current knowledge and that gained in future research.
Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activi... more Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activity, thereby influencing the spring growth phase and yield of cashmere. Female Spanish goats (15 does and 65 kids) were allotted to five treatments: control (C), melatonin implants (MI; 18mg, 42-day release); melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MIB; 225mg, 60-day release period); oral administration of melatonin (MO; 3mg/day); oral administration of melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MOB). Treatments began in March (spring), and hair follicle characteristics were monitored monthly from February to May. Mean initial and final body weights were 27.9±1.2 and 35.3±1.2kg, respectively. The total follicle number was greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MOB group, compared to the C group in April, while in May the total follicle number was greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MIB group, compared to the C and MO groups. Secondary follicle numbers were greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MIB than for C and MO and for MOB versus C, MI and MO groups (P&lt;0.05). The primary active follicle percentage was correlated (P&lt;0.001) to the secondary active follicle percentage (r=0.32), and the correlation (P&lt;0.01) between secondary active follicle percentage and mean cashmere fiber diameter was r=0.31. The primary active follicle ratio did not differ between treatments, but the secondary active follicle ratio was greater (P&lt;0.01) for treatments with melatonin administration, compared to the control in March, April and May. Primary follicle numbers, secondary follicle numbers, total follicle numbers, secondary to primary follicle ratio, primary follicle diameter, secondary follicle and primary to secondary follicle diameter ratio averaged 3.9±0.15mm2, 26.8±1.22mm2, 30.8±1.31mm2, 7.0:1±0.23, 74.0±2.87μm, 15.6±0.19μm and 4.7:1±0.18, respectively. Positive correlations were recorded (P&lt;0.001) for follicular characteristics, such as the secondary follicle number with total follicle number (r=0.99), secondary to primary ratio (r=0.68), group follicle number (r=0.63) and group secondary to primary follicle ratio (r=0.63), and primary follicle diameter with primary secondary diameter ratio (r=0.96). Negative correlations were recorded (P&lt;0.01), for primary follicle number with primary follicle diameter (r=−0.42), secondary follicle diameter (r=−0.33) with secondary and primary follicle ratio (r=−0.48), and primary follicle number with primary and secondary diameter ratio (r=−0.33). Of the follicular groupings, 90% were of the trio primary follicle type, whereas the remaining 10% were of the solo, duo and quartet primary follicular group formations. All primary follicles possessed medullae and some secondary marginal follicles (intermediate type) were medullated, but few follicles of the pure cashmere follicle type had medullae. Hair follicles varied from low, moderate to high density in Spanish goats. Fiber growth rate, fiber diameter and extended follicular activity rate during the spring months suggest that an accelerated breeding program for Spanish goats by melatonin treatment for breeding in the spring could be also profitable by extending the spring cashmere growth phase into a commercially harvestable cashmere length.
Spanish wether and doeling kids (4.5 months of age; 13.4kg initial BW) were used to determine inf... more Spanish wether and doeling kids (4.5 months of age; 13.4kg initial BW) were used to determine influences of different quality diets consumed continuously or after a lower quality diet on characteristics of growth. The experiment consisted of two 9-week periods. Diets were low quality forage (L, prairie hay supplemented with soybean meal), high quality forage (H, dehydrated alfalfa pellets) and
... diet formulated for the Langston University Meat Buck Performance Test; the ingredient and ch... more ... diet formulated for the Langston University Meat Buck Performance Test; the ingredient and chemical composition of the diet was given in Gipson et al ... 0.06 kg per day, with DM consumption of 1.63 ± 0.32 kg per day, which was consistent with Van Niekerk and Casey (1988) who ...
Goats and sheep often graze together and guardian dogs are commonly used for protection from pred... more Goats and sheep often graze together and guardian dogs are commonly used for protection from predators. The objective of this experiment was to characterise how goats, sheep and guardian dogs interact spatially when grazing the same pasture by use of global positioning system (GPS) collars as an unobtrusive means of behaviour monitoring. In 2002 and 2003, three meat goats and two sheep in a group of 12 of each species were randomly chosen and, along with a guard dog, fitted with GPS collars. Minimum distance travelled between consecutive 30-min fixes and distance between any two animals at the same fix time were calculated using spherical geometry. In 2002, the dog travelled the least between fixes during the day but more at night than either goats or sheep. However, in 2003, there was not a significant species difference in distance travelled in 24 h or during the day or night. All species travelled significantly more during day than night but none were stationary at night. Distance amongst goats and between sheep tended to be greater during day than night; distance between goats and sheep was greater than the distance amongst goats or between sheep. Hence, goats and sheep interacted as two separate entities rather than as one large herd/flock. Distance between the dog and goats was closer than between the dog and sheep, indicating a clear preference of the dog for goats that could relate to a difference in previous exposure to the two species. In summary, based on these findings protection by a guardian dog would be greater for a small group of goats than sheep and much greater than for a mixed species group. Or, with a large group of grazing animals, the number of dogs required for a certain level of protection would rank goats < sheep < mixture of goats and sheep.
Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activi... more Melatonin treatment for out of season breeding in goats may also affect skin hair follicle activity, thereby influencing the spring growth phase and yield of cashmere. Female Spanish goats (15 does and 65 kids) were allotted to five treatments: control (C), melatonin implants (MI; 18mg, 42-day release); melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MIB; 225mg, 60-day release period); oral administration of melatonin (MO; 3mg/day); oral administration of melatonin and bromocryptine implants (MOB). Treatments began in March (spring), and hair follicle characteristics were monitored monthly from February to May. Mean initial and final body weights were 27.9±1.2 and 35.3±1.2kg, respectively. The total follicle number was greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MOB group, compared to the C group in April, while in May the total follicle number was greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MIB group, compared to the C and MO groups. Secondary follicle numbers were greater (P&lt;0.05) for the MIB than for C and MO and for MOB versus C, MI and MO groups (P&lt;0.05). The primary active follicle percentage was correlated (P&lt;0.001) to the secondary active follicle percentage (r=0.32), and the correlation (P&lt;0.01) between secondary active follicle percentage and mean cashmere fiber diameter was r=0.31. The primary active follicle ratio did not differ between treatments, but the secondary active follicle ratio was greater (P&lt;0.01) for treatments with melatonin administration, compared to the control in March, April and May. Primary follicle numbers, secondary follicle numbers, total follicle numbers, secondary to primary follicle ratio, primary follicle diameter, secondary follicle and primary to secondary follicle diameter ratio averaged 3.9±0.15mm2, 26.8±1.22mm2, 30.8±1.31mm2, 7.0:1±0.23, 74.0±2.87μm, 15.6±0.19μm and 4.7:1±0.18, respectively. Positive correlations were recorded (P&lt;0.001) for follicular characteristics, such as the secondary follicle number with total follicle number (r=0.99), secondary to primary ratio (r=0.68), group follicle number (r=0.63) and group secondary to primary follicle ratio (r=0.63), and primary follicle diameter with primary secondary diameter ratio (r=0.96). Negative correlations were recorded (P&lt;0.01), for primary follicle number with primary follicle diameter (r=−0.42), secondary follicle diameter (r=−0.33) with secondary and primary follicle ratio (r=−0.48), and primary follicle number with primary and secondary diameter ratio (r=−0.33). Of the follicular groupings, 90% were of the trio primary follicle type, whereas the remaining 10% were of the solo, duo and quartet primary follicular group formations. All primary follicles possessed medullae and some secondary marginal follicles (intermediate type) were medullated, but few follicles of the pure cashmere follicle type had medullae. Hair follicles varied from low, moderate to high density in Spanish goats. Fiber growth rate, fiber diameter and extended follicular activity rate during the spring months suggest that an accelerated breeding program for Spanish goats by melatonin treatment for breeding in the spring could be also profitable by extending the spring cashmere growth phase into a commercially harvestable cashmere length.
ABSTRACT Female Alpine goats, 18 approximately 17 months of age (yearling) and 18 approximately 5... more ABSTRACT Female Alpine goats, 18 approximately 17 months of age (yearling) and 18 approximately 5-month-old (growing), were used in an experiment to determine effects of animal age, urea dose (100, 130, and 160mg/kg BW), and time without feed and water (shrink; 0, 16, and 24h) on urea space (US) estimates. A 20% (w/v) urea solution was infused into a jugular vein, with blood sampled before infusion and every 3min to 21min. BW was 49.8, 47.4, and 47.0kg for yearlings and 26.1, 24.6, and 23.9kg for growing animals after 0, 16, and 24h shrinks, respectively (S.E.=0.80). Time of urea equilibration with body water, determined by a grafted polynomial quadratic–linear model, was affected by a dose×age×shrink interaction (P
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