Evaluation of three meat goat breeds for doe fitness and reproductive performance in the Southeastern United States.

INTRODUCTION Goat production in the United States is characterized as an emerging, non-traditional, alternative, agricultural enterprise. Reproductive output of the doe herd is a major determinant of profitability in a commercial meat goat enterprise. The Boer goat from South Africa is a breed developed for meat production that evolved from selection pressures placed on common goats of the region by farmers (Casey & Van Niekerk 1988). The Kiko from New Zealand is a composite goat breed exported to the U.S. in the mid-1990s that was developed for meat production through systematic crossbreeding of selected feral does with dairy bucks and interbreeding of crossbred offspring (Batten 1987). Boer and Kiko importations created opportunities for U.S. producers to introduce new, unique germplasm into breeding programs. No goat breed in the U.S. had been developed for meat production. Milk, fiber, and brush control were primary reasons of raising goats with meat being a by-product (Glimp 1995). Non-descript range goats not of dairyor fiber-type commonly called “Spanish” goats evolved through natural selection from stock first imported to the semi-arid southwestern U.S. by Spanish explorers (Shelton 1978; Mason 1981).