Acta Veterinaria Eurasia
Research Article

GROWTH TRAITS OF NATIVE TURKISH GEESE REARED IN DIFFERENT FAMILY FARMS DURING THE FIRST 12 WEEK S OF LIFE IN KARS

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Department of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafkas University, 36100 Kars, TURKEY

Acta Vet Eurasia 2008; 34: 1-7
Read: 722 Downloads: 496 Published: 24 December 2019

The aim of this study was to determine growth traits of native Turkish geese grazed on same pastures and fed traditionally during the first 12 weeks of life and also to determine the nutrient composition of pasture where the geese were grazed in Kars. The traditional feeding scheme was ad libitum wetted bread and wastes of meal products for first two weeks, then grazing until slaughter. The study involved 51 unsexed goslings from six different farms. Number of goslings in Farm I , II, III, IV, V and V I were 12, 10, 9, 6, 8 and 6, respectively. The goslings in the Farm I was fed ground barley regularly, only. Live weight of the goslings were determined fortnightly from April 15 to 8 July. Pasture samples were also collected at a three week interval from May 6 to July 8. Final live weight of the geese were 4029.0, 3525.7, 3206.8, 2975.0, 3317.1 and 3227.8 g as above row (P<0.01). Daily live weight gain differed between the farms in the first 8 weeks of life (P<0.01) but not afterwards. Dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, crude fibre, ash, organic matter and nitrogen free extract of pasture ranged from 18.91 to 27.90 %, 15.85 to 22.54 %, 3.81 to 5.17 %, 20.34 to 25.05 %, 11.64 to 13.79 %, 86.21 to 88.36 % and 40.47 to 43.47 %, respectively on a dry matter basis. In conclusion, grazing goslings on pasture may be an economical choice when marketing time is ignored. If earlier marketing time is to be desired, supplemental feeding scheme can be practiced in addition to grazing, which is also supported by the data of the animals from the Farm I .

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