A Comparative Study on the Udder and Gut Health among Three Goat Breeds of Northwest Himalayan Region

Aims: India ranks second in goat population (148.88 million) globally after China and contributes 9% in livestock GDP. Goat is multifaceted animal which provide meat, milk, hide, wool and manure. Goats contribute significantly to livelihood of small, marginal and poor households. Somatic cell counts (SCC) and faecal egg count (FEC) both are indicator of health status of goats; therefore, this study was done with the objective to access health status of three goat breeds found in north west himalayan region.

Methodology: This study was conducted at Division of Livestock production Management, F.V.Sc & AH, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu.

Samples were randomly collected from animals of same age group to keep variation minimum. Sixty milk and sixty faecal samples from each breed were considered for study.

Results: The Somatic cell count is represented in log10 form. There was no significant difference among breeds was observed, highest log SCC/ml was found in Beetal and minimum was observed in Gaddi. All animals observed from different breeds were infested with severe (500-1000) parasitic burden. Maximum FEC/gm was observed in Bakarwali and least was observed in Gaddi. Significant difference in FEC/gm was found in Gaddi and Bakarwali (p=0.05), Bakarwali and Beetal (p<0.01) whereas no significant difference was found between Gaddi and Beetal.

Conclusion: The lower and normal somatic cell count of Gaddi and Bakarwali indicates good udder health of observed herds while moderately high somatic cell count in Beetal breed represents poor udder health. High number of faecal eggs were found in studied population of all breeds reflecting high prevalence of endoparasitic disease. High incidence of parasitic disease severely affects the health status of goats, which results in poor production ultimately leading to economic loss.