Research On Animal Production

Extended Abstract
Background: The high population of goats in Bushehr Province indicates the favorable adaptation of this species to the region's environmental conditions. However, the native goats have low productivity and, in most cases, their raising on an industrial scale is not economically viable. Since the main goal of livestock breeding is to increase the farmer's profit, it is necessary to improve livestock production. One way to increase the production of native livestock is to use superior foreign sires through crossbreeding to infuse desirable genes into the herd. Considering the importance of goat breeding and its role in meeting society's protein needs, a project to crossbreed native goats with Saanen and Alpine goats, which have the characteristics of multiple births and good growth, is being implemented and expanded as a way to achieve these objectives. Therefore, determining the appropriate level of foreign gene contribution to crossbreeding and examining the production and reproductive performance of crossbred goats in warm regions are key questions in breeding programs. Therefore, one of the fundamental questions is what the production characteristics of crossbred goats are, especially in tropical areas?
Methods: This study was conducted on 9645 records of different births and body weight records of Adani goats and Adani × Saanen goats collected at the Tangestan Adani Goat Breeding Station during 2009 and 2019. The animals grazed on pasture for 6 months of the year and were hand-fed during the remaining period. The mating program was under control. Identification recorded data for each animal included animal ID, sire ID, dam ID, birth data, kidding data, weighing dates, sex of the kids, birth type, birth weight, weights at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, recording dates, and genetic composition. Body weight traits were evaluated across four genetic groups: Adani, 25% Saanen cross, 50% Saanen cross, and 75% Saanen cross. Data were edited and prepared using FoxPro and Excel (2010), and analyzed using R software (version 4.1.1). Growth traits were analyzed using a general linear model (GLM), and genetic group comparisons were made using Duncan’s test.
Results: As the proportion of Saanen genes in the crossbred goats increased, the average of all weight traits increased and reached the highest values in the 75% Saanen breed group. Comparisons of mean weight traits showed a significant difference between genetic groups (P < 0.05). The highest mean weight traits were observed in the 75% Saanen cross, which was significantly different from the other groups, indicating a significant effect of the paternal breed on the weight traits of the kids. Since the weaning age is 3 months, and kids are marketed between 3 and 6 months, results showed that the weights of the 3 and 6-month-old kids with 75% Saanen crossbreds were more than 60% heavier than the Adani kid. This outcome is highly desirable for farmers, although it requires better management practices. Given the economic inflation in society, higher market weights are very important for goat producers.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that crossbred goats resulting from Adani × Saanen mating outperformed pure Adani goats in all studied traits. For many traits, the 75% Saanen genetic group showed superiority compared to the other groups, making it the recommended option for Bushehr Province conditions. Specifically, 3- and 6-month weights in 75% Saanen crossbred kids were more than 60% higher than those of Adani goats, which is economically advantageous for farmers despite requiring improved management. However, it should be noted that native goats might perform better than crossbreds under certain conditions. Therefore, crossbreeding does not guarantee improved traits or profitability for every breed or environment.