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The Effect of Early Breeding upon the Milk Energy Production of Grade and Purebred Toggenburg Goats

Department of Dairy Husbandry, New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station, State College, New Mexico

ABSTRACT

The production of 4% milk and the length of the lactation period following a freshening at or near two years of age have been compared for twenty-two pairs of full sisters of grade and purebred Toggenburg milk goats. One member of each pair freshened for the first time at or near two years of age and the other member of each pair freshened at or near one year of age and again at or near two years of age.

The odds, by Student's Method, of 26.8:1 are in favor of the does that freshened as yearlings and again as two-year-olds. While the odds are not great enough to show a very significant difference, the tendency is to favor the does that freshened for the second time at or near two years of age. This is in direct contrast to the belief held by a large number of goat breeders.

The mean difference in the length of the lactation period was eleven days and was in favor of the does that freshened for the first time at or near two years of age, with odds of 13.26:1 that the difference is significant. Again the odds are not great enough to show a definitely significant difference, but the tendency is to favor the does freshening for the first time at or near two years of age.

Under the conditions of this experiment, it is feasible to increase the number of generations of female goats that can be secured in a long-time breeding experiment by having the does freshen for the first time when eleven to fourteen months of age, at least when no attempt is made to milk the yearlings for a full lactation period of ten months.