The production and reproductive traits among different goat breeds in southwestern region of Bangladesh

: In Bangladesh, a comprehensive study was conducted over one year to compare the reproductive and productive performance of Black Bengal, Jamunapari


Introduction
Goats have been linked to humans for over 10,000 years and were the first animals to be domesticated (Monteiro et al., 2017).Due to their ability to thrive in harsh environments, goats are crucial nutrition providers in the form of meat and milk, and they play a vital role in ensuring food security, self-employment, and socioeconomic development in many low-income populations of the developing world.Goats in Bangladesh are recognized for their significant contributions to the national economy through various means.The benefits of livestock farming in developing countries are numerous.Livestock farming provides meat for human consumption, produces leather for foreign currency earnings, helps small-scale farmers increase their income and reduce poverty, generates employment opportunities in rural regions, and empowers women to earn cash income (Banda and Tanganyika, 2021).The goat population in Bangladesh was estimated to be 26.604 million for the years 2020-2021, comprising 90% Black Bengal, 8-9% Jamunapari, and the remaining being other exotic breeds such as Sirohi, Beetal, and their crosses (Siddiki, 2017).Small, marginal, and landless village farmers own approximately 98% of the goats.Islam et al. (2009) conducted a study in Bangladesh that sheds light on goat farming practices among smallholder farmers.According to their findings, 80.5% of farmers use semi-intensive farming techniques, while only 7.3% and 12.2% use confinement and free-range systems, respectively.Moreover, the study reveals that the majority of farmers (96%) feed their indigenous goats with roadside grass and tree leaves, with only a tiny fraction (4%) employing cultivated fodder as feed (Kumar et al., 2018).The contribution and the growth rate of animal farming to overall GDP at constant prices are 1.44% and 3.80%, respectively, in Bangladesh (Chowhana et al., 2023).Dairy goats are often called "poor man's cows" because they can produce a remarkable amount of milk considering their size and feed intake (Akinmoladun et al., 2019;Gwaze et al., 2009).Goats require less food, which makes them a cheaper option.Additionally, they are smaller and easier to handle, making them suitable for women and children (Miller and Lu, 2019;Montiel et al., 2014).A single goat can produce enough milk to sustain an average family.In contrast, their size makes cows more challenging to maintain at home and have higher maintenance costs.The Black Bengal goat reigns supreme as the sole goat breed in Bangladesh.Renowned for their versatility, fecundity, delectability, and superior meat and skin, these goats can be spotted all over the nation (Hossain, 2021;Rakib et al., 2022).They leisurely graze on desolate roadside terrain and subsist on locally sourced fare such as rice gruel (Miah et al., 2016).Additionally, they consume a diverse array of tree leaves, including mango and jackfruit leaves (Khan and Naznin, 2013).Farmers commonly provide Jamunapari goats with a diet of wheat bran, motor bran, gram chuni, and banana residues, among other feeds.Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, the Black Bengal goat is the sole recognized breed raised explicitly for meat production, emphasizing body weight during birth and maturity (Rakib et al., 2022).When choosing a goat, key factors include age, body weight, mortality rate, and average weight during kidding and maturity (Hasan et al., 2015).The Jamunapari breed of dairy goats is highly prized in India, according to research by Miah et al. (2016).These goats, known as the Pari (Angel), are recognized for their impressive height and stature, making them the tallest breed of goats.Although the exact population of Bangladesh is unknown, study reports of Samad (2021) suggested this breed is primarily found in the Chuadanga, Meherpur, Kushtia, Jhenidah, Pabna, and Jashore districts.The Jamunapari breed is renowned for its milk production, which is utilized in various dairy products, including cheese, butter, and yogurt.Their gentle disposition also makes them an excellent choice for domestication and farm life (Pandya and Ghodke, 2007).In western Bangladesh, the private sector imports exotic breeds of bucks from India for crossbreeding purposes, focusing on the Jamunapari breed (Hassan et al., 2010;Zaman, 2017).The reason for importing these exotic breeds is that the unique ravines of the area, with their dense bush, are well-suited to the Jamunapari breed.These goats are highly valued for their versatility in production and their ability to provide valuable contributions like meat, milk, and industrial raw materials, such as skin, fiber, and manure (Hossain, 2021;Bhowmik et al., 2014).In the southwestern region of Bangladesh, we hypothesized that Black Bengal goats exhibit superior reproductive and productive traits compared to Jamunapari and crossbred goats.This hypothesis posits that factors such as age at puberty, age of first kidding, aerial kidding intervals, postpartum heat periods, lactation length, milk production, and mortality rates of kids are significantly influenced by the goat breed, with Black Bengals demonstrating enhanced performance in these aspects.However, to prove the hypothesis we coined the current study evaluates and compares the productive and reproductive performance of crossbred goats, Black Bengal goats, and Jamunapari goats.This study seeks to provide detailed insights into the performance of these different breeds of goats and their suitability for different purposes, such as meat, milk, and industrial raw materials.The results of this study can be of great value to the goat farming industry in the region and help farmers make informed decisions regarding the breeding, raising, and management of different goat breeds.

Ethical approval
Ethical approval was not required for this study.

Study area, periods, and sampling pattern
This study was conducted at Abhaynagar upazilla, Jashore, Bangladesh (Figure 1).The study was carried out from December 2020 to December 2021.Then the farmers were selected randomly and located at Noapara paurasava, Prambag, Sundoli, Chalishia, Payra, Sreedharpur, Baghutia, Shubharara and Siddhipasha Union of Abhaynagar upazila of Jashore districts.The pre-structured questionnaire did data collection.The information related to this study was collected directly with face-to-face contact with farmers and farm attendants.Two hundred twenty-six data was collected, including 103 crossbreeds, 103 Black Bengal, and 20 Jamunapari goats.The management system of dairy farms was appropriately observed during data collection.

Study approaches
The productive and reproductive performances of Black Bengal, Jamunapari, and crossbreed goats were measured using the following traits (Table 1).

Table 1. Traits and their descriptions in selection of productive and reproductive performances of Black
Bengal, Jamunapari, and crossbreed goats.

Trait Description Litter weight of kids
The newborns were weighed using a balance within 1-24 hours after birth.

Mature weight of does
It was measured by weighing balance.Type of birth/litter size It refers to the number of kids born per birth per doe.

Parity
It was calculated based on how often a doe gives a kid.

Number of services per conception
The success of conception was measured by counting the number of times mating was required.

Trait Description Gestation period
It was calculated as the days between conception with the buck and parturition.

Postpartum heat period
The postpartum anestrous period is the interval between a doe's first kidding and her initial and subsequent mating.

Kidding interval
The time between two consecutive kidding's referred to as the kidding interval.

Age at puberty
Observing a wagging tail, swelling and watery discharge from the vulva, a jumping tendency towards others, and bleating are signs of a doe's first heat.

Statistical analysis
The collected data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and SPSS 22, with a least significant difference test performed to determine different significance level, the map was prepared using QGIS software.

Description of animal and management system
The age of the does exhibited variation across several parameters, with the highest proportion (42.50%) falling within the 21-30 months age range, while does aged over 40 months constituted the lowest percentage (2.70%).
The weight of the does was recorded at 74.80%.In terms of nutritional status, 77.00% of the animals were classified as normal.The majority of farmers adopted a semi-intensive rearing approach (86.73%), while the remaining 13.27% practiced intensive rearing.Natural breeding methods were predominantly employed for this experiment (Table 2).

Feeding of doe and kids
The quantity of green grass and concentrate provided showed variability across different variables.Notably, 27.20% of does received more than 2 kg of green grass, while only 3.70% were supplied with over 1 kg of concentrate.In terms of supplementary feeding, the majority of farmers provided milk (60.48%), and the remaining 39.52% supplied rice bran.However, a significant proportion of does (94.20%)produced insufficient milk, with only a small percentage (5.80%)yielding a sufficient amount (Table 3).Note: Values= mean ± SE; SE = standard error 3.5.Kid mortality of Black Bengal, Jamunapari, and crossbreed goats Kid mortality rates varied across parities and types.For single-born kids, Black Bengal had rates of 13.11%, 9.84%, and 3.28% at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd parity, Jamunapari had rates of 33.33% and 16.67%, and crossbreeds had rates of 3.64% and 9.09%.Among twin kids, Black Bengal had rates of 18.035%, 16.39%, and 9.83%, Jamunapari had rates of 16.67% and 33.33%, and crossbreeds had rates of 27.27%, 25.45%, and 16.36%.For triplet kids, Black Bengal had rates of 14.75% and 8.20%, and crossbreeds had rates of 7.27%, 7.27%, and 3.64%.Among quadruplet kids, 6.56% died in the 1st parity of Black Bengal goats (Table 6).
Table 6.The kid mortality rate at different parities.7).Hassan et al. (2007).The study also found that BBGs were reported early in maturing goats than CBGs (225 days).Variations in the breeds' duration were statistically significant (P<0.05).The present study found that the service per conception in Black Bengal was 1.45 ± 0.54, similar to Miah et al. (2016) observation.In Jamunapari, the service per conception was 1.25 ± 0.44, slightly larger than Hassan et al. (2007) and Miah et al. (2016), 1.3 ± 0.6 and 1.34 ± 0.085, respectively.In the case of crossbreeds, the service per conception was 1.34 ± 0.53 in the present study.The difference may be due to inadequate heat detection and mating methods.et al. (2016) found 152.8 ± 17.5 and 146.24 days, which are slightly longer and shorter than the present study, respectively.In the case of crossbreed goats, the average gestation period was 150.71 ± 4.31 days.This variation in gestation period is due to an increase in later parities compared to the first one (Miah et al., 2016).

Black Bengal
The average age of the first conception in Black Bengal was 282.90 ± 20.64 days in the present study, which supports the earlier findings of Hasan et al. (2014).In the present study, Jamunapari and crossbreeds were 403.65 ± 22.36 and 344.58 ± 26.13 days, respectively.The Black Bengal goats have a considerably lower age at conception and first kidding, which agrees with Amit et al. (2011).The present study's findings were supported by Miah et al. (2016).It was larger and smaller in Jamunapari and crossbreeds than in Black Bengal.It is observed that Jamunapari has a more extended gestation period than Black Bengal, as supported by Miah et al. (2016).The lactation length is relatively longer in Black Bengal goats than in Jamunapari and crossbreeds, which agrees with Hassan et al. (2007).The study found that the milk production of Black Bengal was 0.49 ± 0.11, 1.10 ± 0.21, and 0.33 ± 0.10 liters during their first, second, and third parities, respectively.However, other studies have shown that milk production generally increases with age and is highest during the third parity.The difference in findings could be due to the number of observations made during specific parities and other management factors.The present study shows that the average litter weight decreases with higher parity and exhibits significant variation among the breeds.The birth weight may be affected by the gender of the kid (Hassan et al., 2010;Paul et al., 2014), birth type (single, twin, etc.) (Hasan et al., 2014), and season (Moni and Samad, 2019).
The study found that the average litter size in Black Bengal goats was 1.80 ± 0.07, 1.84 ± 0.07, and 1.90 ± 0.10 at first, second, and third parity.This finding of the study is aligned with those of Faruque and Khandoker (2007), Hassan et al. (2007), and Miah et al. (2016).Hassan et al. (2015) also found that the rearing system significantly impacted litter size.In Jamunapari goats, litter sizes were 1.50 ± 0.11, 1.90 ± 0.10, and 1.33 ± 0.33 at first, second, and third parity in the present study.In contrast, Hassan et al. (2010) and Miah et al. (2016) reported an average litter size of 1.70 ± 0.60 and 1.59±0.11,respectively.Crossbreeds' average litter sizes were 1.15 ± 0.04, 1.24 ± 0.05, and 1.35 ± 0.15 at first, second, and third parity, which aligns with previous research of Hassan et al. (2007).Kid mortality in Black Bengal and crossbreeds was high in the second parity, while in Jamunapari, it was higher in the first and second parities.The study found that kid mortality was higher in semiintensive conditions, which may be due to poisoning, higher disease incidence, and predators (Hasan et al., 2014).The kid mortality in Black Bengal was significantly higher (50.00%) than in Jamunapari (4.92%), indicating a higher mortality rate compared to Husain (1999) on Black Bengal goat kids.Mortality rates were high for newborns (under 20 days) due to low immunity and birth weight, consistent with Hasan et al. (2014).Faruque and Khandoker (2007) found that factors such as dam weight, milk yield, season, birth, litter size, parity, nutrition, and diseases contribute to this issue.The study of Chauhan et al. (2019) on BBGs revealed that birth weight significantly influences kid mortality, with goats with higher birth weights experiencing descending mortality.Among the gyneco-obstetrical cases, abortion and dystocia were more prevalent in Jamunapari than others, whereas retained placenta was more prevalent in Black Bengal goats.However, Lucky et al. (2016) and Sayeed et al. (2020) reported earlier that abortion is most prevalent among gyneco-obstetrical cases, which may be due to the advancement of parity.Hasan et al. (2014) found that increased parity decreased the incidence of abortions, while the abortion rate was higher under extensive rather than semi-intensive conditions, possibly due to intra-species fighting.Earlier research found that higher damage levels increase fertility rates and decrease abortion rates (Hasan et al., 2015).Mastitis is the most prevalent digestive, metabolic, and nutritional disease in all three breeds, while PPR is the most prevalent in bacterial and viral diseases.These findings support previous research by Lucky et al. (2016) on the prevalence of gyneco-obstetrical cases in goats.

Conclusions
Goats are domesticated worldwide for their cheap management and good meat and milk production.Their productivity and reproductive performance vary based on sex, birth type, parity, and season.Jamunapari goats are suitable for meat and milk production due to their higher age at first estrus and longer kidding intervals.Black Bengal goats perform better in semi-intensive systems, making them suitable for Bangladesh's socioeconomic and climatic conditions.

Reproductive traits of Black Bengal, Jamunapari, and crossbreed goats
The research findings highlight that Jamunapari goats demonstrate an earlier onset of puberty (357.85 ± 10.98 days) compared to the other breeds.However, they undergo a longer duration (403.65 ± 22.36 days) until their first conception, resulting in an extended age (551.50±18.65 days) for their initial kidding.Crossbreed goats have an extended kidding interval (263.77±54.26days), yet the gestation length and service per conception remain comparable among all three breeds.There was a significant difference (P<0.05) in some reproductive traits among the breeds, like age of puberty, kidding interval, age of first kidding, age of the first conception, and litter size (Table4).

. Effect of parity on productive and reproductive trait and litter size of Black Bengal, Jamunapari, and crossbreed goats
Parity has a significant effect on different productive and reproductive traits.The average postpartum heat periods for Black Bengal, Jamunapari, and crossbreed goats were 44.83 ± 10.18, 68.50 ± 5.53, and 48.16 ±  19.54 days, respectively.Average lactation lengths were 69.09 ± 13.67, 77.25 ± 3.96, and 48.63 ± 4.20 days,

Table 8 . Disease prevalence of Black Bengal, Jamunapari, and crossbreed goats.
Miah et al. (2016)7Hassan et al. ( , 2010) )ds, and Jamunapari goats.Doe age varies, with 21-30 months age doe having the highest number (42.50%).Most farmers rear semi-intensive (86.73%) and rest-intensive (13.27%).Green grass and concentrate were supplied to 27.20% doe, with over 2 kg in 27.20% does and 1 kg in 3.70% does.Most farmers supplied milk (60.48%) and rice bran (39.52%), with 94.20% of does producing sufficient milk.The present study compared the puberty age of Black Bengal and Jamunapari goats, withHassan et al. (2007Hassan et al. ( , 2010) )andMiah et al. (2016)recording slight variation in results.The Black Bengal goats had a puberty age of 208.50 ± 26.20 days, while the Jamunapari goats had an age of 357.85 ± 10.98.The variation in results may be due to genetic causes, while the rearing system did not affect the age of puberty.Crossbreeds had a puberty age of 229.27 ± 23.85 days, slightly lower than Hassan et al. (2010)interval in Black Bengal was 191.13 ± 98.49 days in the present study, whereHassan et al. (2010)andMiah et al. (2016)found 181.23 ± 4.55 days and 186.15 ± 1.25 days, respectively, which are slightly longer than the present study.For Jamunapari, the kidding interval was 217.90 ± 14.08 days, as shown by the present study, whereMiah et al. (2016)recorded 199.22 ± 2.40 days, slightly longer than the present study.Improper record-keeping by the farmers could be the reason for the issue.In the case of crossbreeds, the average kidding interval was 263.77 ± 54.26 days in the present study, whereasHassan et al. (2007)found 270 ± 22 days, slightly longer than the present study.The reason for this may be the difference in the number of times a doe has given birth.The kidding interval increases in later parities than the first one(Miah et al., 2016).The average age of first kidding in Black Bengal was 373.18 ± 25.67 days in the present study, whereasHassan et al. (2007)had 360.5 ± 10 days, slightly shorter than the present study.However,Hassan et al. (2010)found Jamunapari and crossbreeds average age of first kidding of 548.6 ± 68.1 days, almost similar to the current study, and 409.14 ± 31.14 days for crossbreeds.The average gestation period in Black Bengal was 150.04 ± 7.96 days in the present study, whereasMiah et al. (2016)recorded 147.90 ± 0.25 days, slightly shorter than the present study.For Jamunapari, it was 149.90 ± 2.59 days in the present study, whereasHassan et al. (2010)and Miah