Morpho-productive Characteristics of Saanen Goats in the South of Romania

Abstract

Within the breed pattern of goat livestock exploited at national level, the most important share is represented by rustic non-improved breeds, which, however having an important variability under dimension report, we may state, at the same extent, about productions, especially milk ones. Thus, small productions request crossings, at least infusive ones, with the most performant breeds such as Saanen, whose performances are remarkable in the specialized farms from the origin country. In the present work , the analysis object is constituted by Saanen livestock exploited in Gîrbovi – Ialomiţa, where there were observed the main morpho-productive characteristics of the breed and the performance way, especially milk production, during the whole lactation and its quality, as well as the main body measurements. The main effected somatometric measurements  emphasized  a conformation, typically dolico-morphic, reflected by the analysed body indexes, on the basis of the average body dimensions such as: live weight 57.375±0.23 Kg, as an average,  height at the crupper 67.64±0.38cm, crupper length 69.25±0.41 cm, oblique body length 70.98±0.38 cm, head length 21.35±0.14 cm, head width 14.58±0.18 cm, chest width 18.56±0.15 cm, croup width 20.26±0.14 cm, thoracic perimeter 89.17cm±0.32 cm and cane perimeter 10.52±1.53 cm, resulting a dolico-morph body structure. The total production is as an average of 500.39 litres and the medium milk production during the 212 lactation days of almost 7 months was of about 2.36 L/head/day during the whole lactation and during each month, the average productions were: November 58.05 L, December 70.47 L, January 92.30 L, February 45.10 L, March 86.67 L, April 100.37 L and May 46.42 L. These performances demonstrate a lactation curve with two peaks, representing a certain high milk potential compared to the local breeds, but very much under the performances of this breed in the specialized farms. The milk chemical composition during the latest lactation months were:  non-fat dry matter 8.33%, protein 3.27% and fat 3.54%. This case, the high milk potential of the breed may be compared  to some non-improved  livestock, aspect which shows an exploitation  where the feeding and managing conditions are very poor for specialized animals or in the case of the purchased material, it is much more under our expectations