Enhancing Goat Productivity: A Comprehensive Breeding Program for Pro Poor Communities in India
Introduction:
In our pursuit of empowering pro poor and community-managed breeding systems, The Goat Trust has designed a multi-pronged approach to enhance goat productivity. Through field experiences and collaboration with communities, we have set breeding objectives that align with local aspirations and contexts. The goal is to ensure good quality and healthy goats, as they are a prerequisite for improved productivity. In this blog, we will delve into the background and objectives of our breeding program, as well as the step-by-step process to achieve our goals.
Objectives:
Enhance Birth Weight: We aim to improve the birth weight of kids by 20% through improved breeding practices, which will lead to healthier and more robust offspring.
Uniformity in Color, Shape, and Productivity: Creating uniformity in goats' color, physical shape, and productivity will contribute to better breeding outcomes and a more efficient goat management system.
Manage Kidding Interval: We strive to achieve a kidding interval of 7 months for small breeds and 9 months for large size breeds, optimizing the breeding cycle and maximizing productivity.
Surplus Milk Yield: Our objective is to achieve a surplus milk yield of 50 liters (post kids feeding) in large breeds and 25 liters in small breeds per lactation, ensuring improved milk production for the community.
Age at First Conception: We aim to achieve an age of 9 months for small breed goats and 12-14 months for large size goat breeds at their first conception, promoting early and productive breeding.
Breeding Improvement and Management Program:
Pre-Intervention Stage:
Baseline data collection is crucial to understand the existing breeding scenario in our technical support areas. Through the help of our Community Livestock Managers (CLMs), we collect information such as birth weight of kids, inter-kidding period, estimated milk yield of goats, and detailed descriptions of major goat types, including ear, color, and size variations. This data helps us develop appropriate breeding strategies tailored to the specific area.
Intervention Steps:
Step I - Listing and Grading of Goats: Following Pashu Sakhi's first-phase training, we enlist goat farmers and grade village goats based on objective criteria. This involves assessing their physical traits and overall health. Goats that do not show signs of heat 90 days after kidding receive appropriate action.
Step II - Identifying Best Productive Local Goats: We encourage mass awareness of the importance of conserving the progeny of the best-performing goats. Pashu Sakhi and community leaders play a crucial role in starting "Kids Nurseries" to rear these progeny under semi-stall-fed conditions.
Step III - Castration or Use of Apron: As per our Bakari Paalak Pathshaala (BPP) and awareness-building video films, all male bucks, except those selected for breeding, undergo castration. The use of aprons prevents unwanted breeding by low-quality bucks.
Step IV - Phenotypically Superior and Genetically High-Worth Buck Breeding: Ensuring at least one breeding buck per village with superior qualities enhances the overall breeding program. We select bucks based on specific criteria, such as length, girth, and breed color.
Step V - Use of Superior Buck through Artificial Insemination: Gradually, we promote artificial insemination to replace the need for a large number of bucks and further develop the quality of goats using genetically superior bucks.
Monitoring and Evaluation:
To measure the impact of our breeding program, we collect baseline and mid-line data to understand changes in productivity. Final evaluation occurs after 36 months of project completion, and a data-based report and analysis are shared.
Conclusion:
Through our comprehensive breeding program, we are determined to uplift the livelihoods of pro poor communities by enhancing goat productivity. The support of our Pashu Sakhi and technical teams, along with community consultation, enables us to achieve our breeding objectives successfully.