Carcass Yield of Sahelian Goats in Guera Province at Central-Eastern, Chad

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to estimate the carcass yield of Sahelian goats in Guera Province at Central-Eastern, Chad. The data were collected by weight gain: goats before slaughter and weight of hot and cold carcasses, three times a week from November 2016 to July 2017. The study involved 835 goats, of which 551 goats were slaughtered in Mangalme municipal slaughterhouse and 284 heads slaughtered in Mongo. These animals came mainly for 85% from transhumant breeding against 15% from sedentary breeding. Males (225 heads or 27%) were 26.3 ± 22.6 years old and females (610 goats, 73%) aged 40.6 ± 33.9 months. The majority of goats slaughtered (about 85%) in Mangalme and Mongo come from transhumant herds. More than 50% of slaughtered females were heavier and older than males. The carcass yield of the females was lower than that of the male carcasses. The slaughter of females resulted in losses of goat reproduction in the study area. However, the origin of slaughtered goats had no influence on carcass yield of goats. So, the slaughter of males is to be encouraged and that of females to be minimized. Goat farming should focus on raising kids to supply slaughterhouses. This will contribute to enhance the value of local food resources that can promote the sustained development of goat meat production, improve the quality of meat produced and master the goat breeding in the Sahelian zone of Chad.