Study protocol/Experimental design

Details of the animals, their management and assignment to diet.

Twenty four male goats, and a few replacements, will be purchased for each genotype from farmers in their respective regions. The goats will be of similar age (milk teeth) and weighing 13-15 kg. Goats from each genotype will be randomised to the three diets and then all 72 goats assigned at random to individual pens. 

The animals will be dewormed, dipped and vaccinated against recommended parasites and diseases before they are moved to the pens. There will then be an adaptation period of 14 days before the experiment starts. Thereafter, the experimental diet will be offered to each goat as planned. Goats will be weighed weekly in the morning before watering and feeding. However, the initial and the final weight will be recorded for two consecutive days and the averages taken as the initial and final body weights.

Each goat will be monitored until it reaches a body weight of about 20kg. This selection is based on the range of weights demanded by the major importing Arabian countries. The number of days taken to reach this target weight will be recorded.