PROVIDED FOR NON-COMMERCIAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION USE.
NOT FOR REPRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION OR COMMERCIAL USE.

PROVIDED FOR NON-COMMERCIAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION USE.
NOT FOR REPRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION OR COMMERCIAL USE.

NEVER ASSAN

One principal source of unsubstantial meat production
efficiency in commercial small ruminants is high kid/lamb
mortality, where a larger proportion of kid/lamb crop fails to
reach marketable age resulting in immense economic losses.
There is apparent evidence accrued through extensive studies
which point to the fact that heredity and some non-genetic factors
drive kid/lamb mortality in goats and sheep production. In this
respect, mortality of kids/lambs may vary with genotype,
nutrition, litter size, dam age and parity order, nutrition, sex and
age of kid/lamb and season and year of kidding/lambing. The
present review will give an insight on the influence of genotype,
birth weight and birth status as determinants of mortality in goat
and sheep. The resultant effect of genotype on kid/lamb mortality
is associated with traits imparted to both dams and/or kid/lamb
such as birth weight size related to difficult birth, kid/lamb
viability after kidding/lambing and maternal characteristics. Low
birth weight kid/lamb may die due to failure to adapt to life after
birth, incompetence to sustain body temperature as a result of
low energy body reserves at birth result into death, low kid/lamb
potency and poor maternal attachment exposes kid/lambs to less
survival chances. On the other hand, multiple birth has an adverse
effect on kid/lamb survival due to lower birth weight as litter size
increases, which is a lead factor to more hazard to mortality. The major reason for high mortality in underweight kid/lamb at birth is
probably due to lack of suckling and/or exposure to low body
temperatures. Mature dams give birth to heavier kids and provide
enough milk to nursed kids/lambs promoting faster growth rates
subsequently enhancing survivability of kids/lambs. There is
potentiality of manipulation of husbandry practices focusing on
ensuring that all born kids/lambs are as close as possible to the
acceptable birth weight average for that specific breed of choice.
It should be noted that due to multifaceted nature of the
determinants of mortality it is reasonable to assume that
appreciation of specific cause and occurrence of kids’/lamb
mortality could be advantageous to minimise mortality rates. A
total eradication of kid/lamb mortality is probably unachievable as
a result partly targeting the control of both environmental and
animal-related factors is of paramount importance. High kid/lamb
mortality necessitate for good management practices and
improved dam nutrition to support nursing of multiple birth, in
addition to the exploitation of crossbred’s livability and
survivability. The present review gives an insight on the
determinants of mortality and associated factors in goat and
sheep meat production

Agricultural Advances

2020