Assessing feed intake, growth performance, organ growth, and carcass characteristics of purebred Boer and Kiko male kids fed high concentrate diet

Twelve purebred Boer and Kiko male goat kids (n = 6) were randomly selected from a group of 24 counterparts for each breed to determine intake of forage vs. concentrate, growth performance, feed efficiency, different organ growths, and carcass quality. Three sire lines represented each breed group. Goat kids were weaned at 3 months of age and had average body weight (BW) of 24.6 and 22.8 ± 1.34 kg for Boer and Kiko kids, respectively. Goats were offered a commercial concentrate mix and bermudagrass hay at 80:20 ratio, respectively. Feed intake and growth performance were monitored for 85 days. At the end of the study goats were transported about 370 km to Mississippi State University Meat Lab and were slaughtered according to USDA guideline. Upon slaughter, carcasses were evaluated and different organ weights were recorded. There was no difference (P = 0.37) in initial BW for two breeds; however, final BW (P = 0.09) and average daily gain (P = 0.06) of Boer kids tended to be higher than Kiko kids. Although there was no difference in total dry matter intake (DMI; P = 0.48), given a choice, concentrate intake tended to be higher (P = 0.07) for Boer kids and hay intake was higher (P = 0.05) for Kiko kids. Gain efficiency (gain:feed intake) tended to be higher (P = 0.06) for Boer kids. Boer kids preferred less hay (23.1% vs. 31.5% DMI; P = 0.004) and more grain (76.9% vs. 68.5% DMI; P = 0.004) in their diet. There were no differences (P > 0.10) in dressing percentage and carcass characteristics between two breeds, except Boer kids had higher fat thickness over 12th rib (P = 0.04), higher total % fat (P = 0.001), and lower total % bone mass (P = 0.05) in carcass, with no difference in muscle mass (P = 0.22) between breeds. All the body organs as a % of fasted BW were similar between two breeds, except Boer kids tended to have heavier head and scrotum (P = 0.05). In conclusion, Boer kids preferred and consumed more grain and tended to have higher ADG than Kiko kids; however, they gained more fat, and less bone mass.