The aim of this study was to determine the seasonal variations in chemical composition and dry matter (DM) degradability of the diet of grazing goats on a thorn scrubland in a semi-arid region of Durango, México. Extrusa samples from four…
A method to establish the diet of goats in ligneous environments is needed. Twelve Damascus yearlings were subjected to 12 test periods in which days 1-7 were for adaptation, intake was recorded on days 8-10 and faeces were grab-sampled on…
Leaves of three Atriplex spp. and Cassia sturtii grown in two different locations in South Africa were analysed for certain nutritive characteristics. Crude protein values ranged from 176 to 234 g/kg DM for the Atriplex spp. and for C. sturtii…
The objective of this study was to quantify the macro and trace mineral concentrations of Atriplex canescens, A. halimus, A. nummalaria and Cassia sturtii at two different sites in South Africa. Statistically significant differences in Ca, P, Mg, Se, Zn…
In this study the mineral composition of ash from fireplaces at rural homesteads was determined to establish if such ash could be a source of minerals to goats. The mineral composition of ash collected from homesteads in six different communal…
Data, collected during the 1997-1998 breeding season from 14 ostrich trios, were used to determine whether two females in a trio could be differentiated based on egg size. For eight of the trios a difference between egg weights could be…
This paper proposes the use of autoregressive models to predict weekly milk yield in a goat farm. Twenty-eight goats were used to build the model and eight goats were used to validate it. The best models obtained were those in…
The present study focused on gaining a better insight into how subclinical mastitis at the gland level in dairy sheep and goats affects milk yield and compositional changes in relation to curd yield. Animals chosen for the study had one…
The effect of aging the M. longissimus dorsi of 13 impala at 4ºC over a ten-day period was investigated. Large variation between animals was observed for the percentages drip and cooking loss as well as for the CIELab colour (L*,…
Preliminary genetic parameters for nodule traits of ostrich skins were estimated to examine whether genetic improvement of skin quality is feasible. Average nodule size and density per dm² were determined on five localities on each of 439 ostrich skins. An…
Genetic parameters for growth traits in the South African Brahman breed were estimated using ASREML from data records of birth weight (BWT) = 41 509, weaning weight (WWT) = 37 705, yearling weight (YWT) = 22 682 and final weight…
(Co)variance components for linear type traits of South African Jerseys and Holsteins were estimated. Heritability estimates are mostly in agreement with other studies although some estimates for the Jersey population are lower. Genetic trends for conformation traits of the South…
A study with the aim of evaluating the reversibility of the nutritionally induced changes in the scrotal and testicular characteristics of young rams was conducted. Thirty-six Dorper rams, 11 to 12 months of age were randomly divided into three groups…
An objective was defined for a breeding program in South Africa to improve the female fertility of the national herd. The aim of the study was to change the approach of defining a trait based on female fertility and to…
Thirty two Döhne Merino lambs with an initial mean (± s.d.) body weight of 30.3 ± 2.5 kg were used in a randomised block experiment to determine the effect of an exogenous fibrolytic enzyme preparation (Abo 374) on body weight…
A total of 79687 (after editing) first lactation records for milk (MY), butterfat (BFY) and protein (PRY) yield, as well as butterfat (BFP) and protein (PRP) percentages were obtained from the South African Holstein Society for animals that were registered…
The purpose of this study was to estimate genetic and phenotypic parameters for gestation length and birth weight in Bonsmara cattle in South Africa. A total of 26962 gestation length and birth weight records for the period 1989 to 2000…
Although fire is regarded as a natural factor in the environment of southern Africa, accidental fires in arid and semi-arid areas influence the fodder flow planning in both agricultural and conservation areas. The short-term impact (two years) of an unplanned…
Due to the regular occurrence of drought in southern Africa, there is a need for more research on drought tolerant plants such as Opuntia species. This study aimed at quantifying the effects of water stress on the growth of tap…
A study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary energy and protein concentrations in a 3 x 5 factorial experimental design on the performance of growing and finishing ostriches. Energy concentrations amounted to 8.5, 10.5 and 12.5 MJ ME/kg…
