The local Malawi goat

Origin and ecological distribution of the breed
Physical characteristics
Reproduction and breeding efficiency
Feeding and feeding systems
Production characteristics
Diseases and parasites
Final remarks
Bibliography

J.W. Banda, J.A. Ayoade, S.K. Karua and L.A. Kamwanja

Drs J. W. Banda and L.A. Kamwanja are lecturers, and Dr S.K. Karua is Chief Technician at the Department of Animal Science, Bunda College of Agriculture, University of Malawi, PO Box 219, Lilongwe, Malawi. Dr Ayoade was formerly lecturer in Animal Nutrition at the University of Malawi. His present address is Department of Animal Production, University of Jos, Makurdi Campus, PMB 2373, Makurdi, Nigeria.

Malawi - whose background information has been described previously (Butterworth and McNitt, 1984) has a goat population of 631000, second only to that of cattle at 908000 (Anon., 1983). The flock growth rate is 1.8 percent annually. An estimated 30 percent annual offtake, 25 to 30 kg live weight and a killing out of 57 percent (Devendra and Burns, 1970; Devendra and McLeroy, 1982) gives 2700 to 3000 tonnes of meat annually, showing a low consumption of goat meat alone of 0.42 to 0.46 kg per head per year, with no change since 1960. Of all meat from domestic ruminants consumed, goat meat represents 11 percent.

Constraints to goat production in Malawi - apart from the communal landownership system - are the low genetic potential of the animals, problems of providing improved husbandry and management (such as disease control and housing), the absence of marketing policies, poor attitudes towards goat keeping and inappropriate extension strategies for goat keeping, only to mention a few. In 1971, a small flock of pure-bred Boer goats was established at Mikolongwe in southern Malawi for crossing with local Malawi goats in order to improve meat production in the country. A similar flock is available at the Bunda College of Agriculture, University of Malawi, for the same purpose. In 1983, the Malawian Government, in collaboration with the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, established a goat breeding ranch in Salima, central Malawi. Managed by the Malawi-German Livestock Development Programme (MGLDP), cross-breeding as well as selection programmes are currently under way there.

For any improvement of goat production to benefit the rural community and smallholder farmers through research and policy-making, the physical characteristics, reproductive ability, feeding systems, productivity and health aspects of goats must be understood. To this effect, some work has been done by the Ministry of Agriculture and the University of Malawi, but no attempt has been made to unite all of the available information.

This paper is meant to put together some of the available, but scattered, information on the local Malawi goats to provide basic information to animal scientists involved in the improvement of small ruminants.

Origin and ecological distribution of the breed

The majority of the goat population in Malawi is local. The goats apparently came from Asia and spread southwards from Egypt and Ethiopia down to Uganda, Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi and then to Malawi (Epstein, 1971). As a result, the Malawi goat bears some resemblance to the small East African type. At the same time, Joubert (1973) grouped the local goats together with those from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana. This suggests that some of the goats may have been brought together with cattle as the Zulus moved up from the south, though this needs to be ascertained. Nonetheless, the Malawi goats have developed through natural selection and adaptation to harsh environments, utilizing limited vegetation in long dry seasons.

Ninety percent of the indigenous goats are kept by smallholders in flocks of up to 20, the average being six animals. Collections of local goats are obviously also kept at government farms. The cattle:goats:sheep ratio of 10:1:0.2 (using the goat population as the base) indicates that cattle are more important than small ruminants and that goats are far more important than sheep. About 42 percent of the goats are found in the semi-arid low-lying areas of the Lower Shire Valley and the Lakeshores, followed by plateau areas (39 percent) and then high altitude areas (19 percent). No work has been conducted so far to characterize the goats and the inherent production systems found in these different ecological zones.

Physical characteristics

The local Malawi goats resemble the small East African goat breed. The goats are hardy and small- to medium-sized and the hair is short. In many cases, horns are present, pointing backwards. Beard and sometimes wattles are seen, and ears are mostly short and prick-type. They have a wide range of colours, including black, black-and-tan, red-and-white and grey. Sometimes they look like deer, with a black line of hair extending down the back and up to the tail, as is common with deer-like goats. Face patterns are variable.

Weight and size

The birth weight of the kids is influenced by breed, age of the dam, season of birth, sex and litter size (McDowell, 1977). Single-birth kids weigh 0.4 to 0.5 kg more than multiple-birth kids (Table 1). Weaning weights are lower in female than in male kids by 3.4 to 8 kg. At birth the weight of multiple-birth kids is 80 percent, and at weaning 69 percent, of the weight of single-birth kids. This demonstrates that multiple-birth kids grow slightly faster than single-birth kids, although single-birth kids still show a weight advantage throughout their lives. Kids born in the early part of the dry season (April/May) tend to be heavier than those born later in the year (November/December), probably because of the availability of browse shrubs and trees, including field crop residues, coupled with lower parasitic infestation during the dry season (Reynolds, 1979). Mature weight of local Malawi goats is about 21 to 28 kg, with a body length of 61 cm and a heart girth of 66 cm. These are close to the values given by Devendra and McLeroy (1982).

Pre-weaning and post-weaning performance of kids

The birth weights, weaning weights and growth rates of local kids only have been discussed above. Attention will now be given to studies that have compared the growth rates of local Malawi kids with those of Boer x local Malawi cross-bred kids reared on both smallholder and government farms. In both cases, all animals depended on the grazing and browsing of natural vegetation. During the night, these animals were kept in kid kholas (houses) or in the farmers' houses themselves in the case of smallholders.

Preliminary results of the cross-breeding programme at a government farm in central Malawi show that the birth weights of the half-bred kids are about 15 to 19 percent higher than those of the local kids, and those of the three-quarter-bred kids (75 percent Boer) about 50 percent higher (Table 2).

During the dry season (May to November) of 1984, body weights and deaths were recorded for local Malawi kids and local Malawi x Boer kids at Mkoche village in the Chief Chadza area of Unit 31 of Lilongwe Agricultural Development Division. Mkoche village, about 10 km from Bunda College, has an average annual rainfall of 875 mm. The kids (pure and cross-bred) were weighed within one week of birth (initial body weight) and then weighed monthly over the following four months (the last month taken as the weaning weight). Records of deaths were also kept. The data collected are summarized in Table 3. Pre-weaning body weight changes of the local Malawi kids were better than those of the cross-bred kids. However, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the local and the cross-bred kids in terms of weaning weight (fourth-month weight). This supports the previous observations of Ayoade and Butterworth (1982). It may be because the milk from the dams of the cross-bred kids was insufficient to support their growth potential during the pre-weaning period or because too few animals were used in the study.

Examination of further cross-breeding work carried out at later dates shows contrary results. In Table 4 the pre-weaning growth rates and the weaning weights discussed above are compared with the results reported by Kasowanjete, Stotz and Zerfas (1987). Calculations made from their findings for female kids showed that, after weaning, the growth rate of cross-bred kids was 40 g/day, which was better than that of the local kids (23 g/day), giving a higher overall growth rate of 8 g/day from birth to 280 days (9 months). Banda (1992a) observed that the milk yield of Boer x local does was 12 percent higher than the average of the parental breeds. This may have contributed to the 7.5 percent weight gain advantage of their offspring of the same genotype over the offspring of the two other parental breeds. It shows that the potential of the crosses could be higher if they were given extra feeding. The reduced growth rate of the cross-bred kids born to cross-bred does after weaning might indicate a severe growth check and feed restriction for kids with liberal pre-weaning milk intakes. The increased post-weaning performance of Boer kids might indicate that the Boer goat is a late maturing breed Despite these differences, Banda (1992b) further reported that the local goats had the highest biological productivity rate followed by the crossbred goats. The differences were the result of variations in litter size, kidding interval and the postpartum weight of the dams. Ayoade and Kamwanja (1985) reported that the mortality rate of the half-bred kids was not markedly higher than that of the local kids, which is different from what has been discussed above for the smallholder management system. This shows there is room for improvement in husbandry so that farmers realize the clear advantage of using local and cross-bred goats. The causes of death should also be investigated before recommendations are made.

1 Body measurements and weights of local Malawi goats - Mensurations et poids des chèvres de race locale du Malawi - Medidas corporales y pesos de cabras de raza local

		Number	Sex		Average	Source
			Male	Female
Birth weight (kg)
Singles		38	2.6±0.5	2.3±0.5	2.5	Ayoade & Butterworth, 1982
		139	2.0±0.6	1.8±0.5	1.9	Karua, 1989b
		280	2.1	1.9	2.0	Kasowanjete, Stotz & Zerfas, 1987
Multiples		14	2.0±0.3	1.9±0.5	2.0	Reynolds, 1979
		150	1.7±0.5	1.6±0.5	1.7	Karua, 1989b
		98	1.6	1.6	1.6	Kasowanjete, Stolz & Zerfas, 1987
Weaning weight (kg)
Singles (a)1		38	16.3±3.0	15.4±3.6	15.6	Ayoade & Butterworth, 1982
	(b)2	22	9.0±1.4	8.9±2.0	9.0	Reynolds, 1979
Multiples		7	6.6±0.6	5.4±1.4	6.0	Reynolds, 1979
Postpartum dam weight (kg)
Singles		275	27.9±6.5	27.8±5.0	27.9	Karua, 1989a
Twins		144	32.4±5.2	29.6±5.0	31.0	Karua, 1989a
Adult weight (kg)		50	45.0±6.0	32.4±5.9	38.7	Banda & Karua, 1992 (unpublished)
Body length (cm)		50	77.0±2.8	68.9±3.9	73.0	Banda & Karua, 1992 (unpublished)
Heart girth (cm)		50	87.3±3.2	74.9±4.6	81.1	Banda & Karua, 1992 (unpublished)
Withers height (cm)		50	74.0±4.2	60.5±2.8	67.3	Banda & Karua, 1992 (unpublished)

¹ Weaning at 16 weeks.
² Weaning at 12 weeks.

2 Birth weights of various breeds by sex - Poids à la naissance de différentes races selon le sexe - Peso al nacer de diversas razas por sexos

	Males		Females
	Number	Mean	Number	Mean
	(kilograms)
Singles
Pure local (L)	139	2.0	133	1.8
	45	2.0	49	1.9
	143	2.1	137	1.9
Pure Boer (B)	4	2.4	3	2.8
B x L (50% B)	85	2.2	65	2.3
B x (50% B)	6	2.8	4	3.1
Twins
Pure local (L)	92	1.7	146	1.6
	57	1.6	55	1.6
	51	1.6	47	1.6
Pure Boer (B)	6	2.4	8	2.8
B x L (50% B)	16	2.0	12	1.8
B x (50% B)	12	2.8	10	2.0

Source Kasowanjete, Stotz and Zerfas, 1987: Karua, 1989a.

3 Pre-weaning body weights and mortality rates in local Malawi kids and local Malawi x Boer kids at Mkoche village - Poids et taux de mortalité au sevrage des chevreaux de race locale pure et croisés x Boer au village de Mkoche - Peso corporal antes del destete y mortalidad de cabritos de raza local y de raza local x Boer, en la aldea de Mkoche

	Local Malawi				Local Malawi x Boer
	Number	Mean	SD	Range	Number	Mean	SD	Range
Pre-weaning body weight (kg)
Initial weight	6	4.88	1.14	3-6	8	5.06	1.76	2.5-7
1 st month	6	8.25	1.08	7-10	7	8.86	2.78	4-11.3
2nd month	6	11.4	1.50	10-12	5	10.8	3.72	5-15
3rd month	5	14.9	1.48	13-17	5	13.6	5.26	5-20
4th month	5	17.2	0.84	16-18	5	15.2	6.50	5-23
Calculated rate of growth (g/day)	110.0				90.5
Mortality rate (%)	16.7				37.5

SD = standard deviation.
Source. Ayoade and Kamwanja, 1985.

Mature local male - Bouc adulte de race locale - Macho cabrío adulto de raza local

Reproduction and breeding efficiency

Environmental factors, especially the photoperiod, can affect the reproductive cycle of the goat. In the tropics, the variation in day length is less marked and so goats will breed throughout the year (Gall, 1975). Interactions of temperature and nutrition may be important in determining the pattern of reproduction in the tropics.

Kanyerere and Kamwanja (1988) found a significant difference in age at first kidding between locals (20 months) and local x Boer crosses (25 months), while Karua (1989a, 1989b) found that the age at first kidding for locals was 16 to 18 months. Fertility at first oestrus was 44 percent for locals and 45 percent for local x Boer crosses, while the age at first observable heat was 15 months for locals and 16.5 months for local x Boer crosses at Bunda College (Kanyerere and Kamwanja, 1988). According to Reynolds (1979), the Malawi goat has a kidding percentage of 85 to 126 percent, the range reflecting deaths of foetuses and kids. These results are in agreement with those reported by Karua (1989a). Mean gestation length in local goats was reported to be 148 days (Karua and Banda, 1990). The incidence of multiple kidding is approximately 15 to 20 percent (Reynolds, 1979; Kasowanjete, Stotz and Zerfas, 1987). The interval from kidding to service is 18 to 19 weeks. This postpartum anoestrus plus a normal gestation period of 21 weeks shows that the kidding interval ranges between 39 and 40 weeks. Kasowanjete, Stotz and Zerfas (1987) and Karua (1989a) observed a kidding interval of 45 weeks in local goats on smallholder farms in Salima, central Malawi. On station at Bunda College, the kidding interval was 47 weeks for locals and 43 weeks for local x Boer crosses (Kanyerere and Kamwanja, 1988). These values obtained for local Malawi goats are not different from those quoted by Devendra and McLeroy (1982). This shows that local Malawi goats kid four times in three years. This is affected mainly by the anoestrus period, which is rather long. It seems that the only apparent anoestrus period occurs towards the end of the dry season, from mid-August through October, when crop residues in harvested fields are exhausted; hence, goats do not kid as much in February and March.

Feeding and feeding systems

The local Malawi goats, like many other goats, are inquisitive animals and they can quickly cover long distances in search of food. Browse is preferred by the Malawi goats and they are able to select the types of trees, shrubs and also grasses they prefer (Table 5).

Three feeding systems are normally observed in Malawi. The first is the village system, where the goats are tethered during the rainy season to prevent crop destruction in fields and then released during the dry season into harvested fields. The goats lose weight during the rainy season since, tethered, their grazing is restricted. In the dry season, they gain weight as they are free to graze on the crop residues and grain remnants available in the harvested fields.

In the second system, which is a modification of the first, the goats are tethered in the morning hours and then herded by young boys after school.

The third system is the extensive system, where goats browse, graze and scavenge on the feeds available in areas where there are no crops. The goats kept under this system are usually managed by young boys who either belong to the household or are employed.

Seasonal fluctuations in feed supply and quality and infestations with internal parasites (helminths) affect body weight changes and mortality, especially of kids. In all systems, crop residues are sometimes utilized when crops have been harvested.

Water and dry-matter intakes

At the educational and research institutions where the goats are kept, attempts have been made to determine both the dry-matter and the water intakes of the local Malawi goats.

In studies conducted at the Bunda College of Agriculture, it was found that the water intake (water from the feed + drinking-water) of the local goat ranged between 1.8 and 5.9 kg per kilogram of dry-matter intake per day (Ayoade, 1982, 1984; Ayoade and Njewa, 1984; Ayoade and Tambala, 1984). These figures are comparable to those reported for other tropical breeds (Devendra and McLeroy, 1982). Goats' need for water is highly variable as it depends on the climatic conditions, feed intake level, production level and type of feed (Devendra and Burns, 1970). The dry-matter intake ranged from 1 to 3.7 kg per 100 kg of body weight depending on the type of feed and age of the animals used (Ayoade, 1982, 1984; Ayoade and Njewa, 1984; Ayoade and Tambala, 1984). The daily maintenance requirement for nitrogen is 0.67 g N per kg W^0,75 per day (Reynolds, 1981).

Utilization of crop residues

Natural pasture and crop residues such as maize stover, groundnut haulms, bean haulms and pigeon pea pods constitute the principal feeds for ruminants during the dry season in Malawi. Ayoade, Makhambera and Bodzalekani (1983) reported that groundnut and bean haulms are adequate maintenance feeds for goats provided that sufficient amounts of both feeds are available. Supplementation with high protein forages such as Leucaena leucocephala has been shown to increase the efficiency of utilization of maize stover by goats (Banda and Ayoade, 1985).

4 Weights and weight gains of kids from birth to 280 days according to genotype - Poids et gain de poids des chevreaux entre 0 et 280 jours selon le génotype - Peso y aumento de peso de los cabritos desde el nacimiento hasta los 280 días, según los genotipos

	Genotype
	Pure local	Boer x local	Boer
I.
Number	49	17	-
Birth weight (B) (kg)	1.8	2.1	-
Weaning weighta (W) (kg)	8.3 ± 2.4	8.2 ± 2.5	-
Weight day 280 (kg)	12.2 ± 2.4	15.0±3.2	-
Weight gain B - D 280 (g/day)	36.0±8.0	44.0 ± 10.0	-
II.			-
Number	64	70	18
Birth weight (B) (kg)	2.3±0.1	2.6 ± 0.1	3.1 ± 0.2
Weaning weightb (W) (kg)	16.0±0.4	17.0 ± 0.4	15.6 ± 0.8
Weight day 180 (kg)	25.0 ± 0.6	23.0±0.6	33.0±1.1
Weight gain B - W (kg)	115.0 ± 4.1	122.0±3.7	112.0±3.6
Weight gain W - D 180 (g/day)	45.0±4.0	20.0 ± 3.9	135.0 ± 7.5

^a Weaning was carried out at constant weight and not age and kidding took place throughout the year.

^b Weaning was carried out at 17 weeks (4 months) and kidding took place during the dry season (May to July).
Source: I. Kasowanjete, Stotz and Zerfas, 1987; II. Banda, 1992b.

5 Common browse trees, shrubs and grasses eaten by local Malawi goats - Arbres et arbustes fourragers et graminées consommés par les chèvres du Malawi - Arboles de ramoneo, arbustos y gramíneas consumidos habitualmente por las cabras

Plant type	Common name	Species
Trees and shrubs	Acacia (Mnyungo)	Acacia polycantha
	Amaranthus (Bonongwe)	Amaranthus spinosus
	Banana (Nthochi)	Musa spp.
	Cassava (Chinangwa)	Manihot esculenta
	Leucaena	Leucaena leococephala
	Pigeon pea (Nandalo)	Cajunas cajan
	Gmelina	Gmelina
Grasses	Hypperrhenia (Tsekela)	Hypperrhenia rufas
	Local buffel grass (Chankhalamu)	Cenchrus spp.
	Star grass (Katunga)	Cynodon spp.
	Napier grass (Senjele)	Pennisetum purpureum

Young local female - Chevrette de race locale - Hembra joven de raza local

Mature local female - Chèvre adulte de race locale - Hembra adulta de raza local

Cross-bred female (50 percent) with kid (backcross to a local) - Chèvre croisée 50 pour cent avec un chevreau (croisement en retour avec race locale) - Hembra cruzada al 50 por ciento con cabrito (producto de retrocruza con macho de raza local)

Seasonal forage supply in Malawi

The diets and grazing behaviour of sheep, goats and cattle are different. Since the goats' diet is composed of vegetation, the botanical composition of which is diverse, it has been difficult to estimate the forage supply for this species in Malawi. As a result, no studies have been conducted to estimate the primary productivity of the grass, shrub and herbaceous layers within reach of goats. However, a study conducted by Lohrmann (1987) on the feed selection and nutrient intake of goats at the Lifidzi Goat Breeding Centre revealed that goats grazed on the leaves of Friesodielsia obovata, Bauhinia petersiana, Combretum collinum, Hoslundia opposita, C. apiculatum, Diplorhynchus condylocarpon and C. fragans. During the dry season, dry browse comprises 25.3 percent and dry grass 15.1 percent of the cover, with only traces of herbs. The most preferred feed at this time is browse. In the wet season, 61.9 percent of the cover is fresh grass, 12.6 percent fresh browse, 4.7 percent fresh herbs and the remaining proportion consists of other vegetation (Table 6). Preference is highest for grass and browse.

Crude protein (14.1 percent), organic matter digestibility (49.2 percent) and ME content (6.6 MJ/kg DM) of leaves were-higher in the wet season than they were in the dry season (9.5 percent, 44.5 percent, 5.5 MJ/kg DM). Cellulose content was 17.4 percent in the wet season and 23.1 percent in the dry season (Table 7). During the dry season, it was observed that blossoms of Cordyla africana and Lonchocarpus bussei and fruits (called "goat biscuits" by herders) of Acacia polyacantha and Baobab spp. were eaten by goats and sheep as energy supplements. The authors estimated that the intake of dry matter during grazing at the end of the wet season is 1.08 kg/day for a 22 to 28 kg non-lactating goat (4.3 percent of body weight). According to Lohrmann (1987), the intake of browse supplies sufficient nutrients and energy for the requirements of goats.

Production characteristics

Meat production

The main value of local Malawi goats lies in their meat. Table 8 presents the meat production characteristics of goats slaughtered in central Malawi.

The live weight at which goats are slaughtered is 19 kg, producing a dressed weight of about 12 kg and dressing out at about 53 percent. This is slightly lower than the value of 57 percent for goats as stated by Devendra and McLeroy (1982).- Castrated males dress out 2.5 percent higher than females and entire males. In Malawi, the proportion of the goat that is edible and saleable ranges between 75 and 81 percent, as the skin, horns and gut contents are the only portions that are thrown away. Most of the goats killed are males under 24 months. This means that goat owners realize the importance of keeping breeding females and using only selected males for breeding.

Data concerning the meat-producing potential of the Boer crosses are not available as yet and no attempt will be made to discuss them. However, it should be mentioned that the better growth rates of the crosses are indicative of their possible contribution, when extra feeding is provided.

Milk production

Milk production of the Malawi local goat is quite low. Milk production and composition data are presented in Table 9.

If the goats were milked for 200 days, they would produce 42 kg without the kid suckling (i.e. hand milking), using the values of Mwenefumbo and Phoya (1982). Banda (1992b) obtained a value of 50 kg in 84 days. Because of such very low yields, goats in Malawi are left to suckle their kids so that the kids can have a good start in life. The very low yields show that the local goats have never been selected for milk production, perhaps because of the importance of cattle as the only source of milk other than goats. Hand milking produces lower yields than suckling, even lower than when oxytocin is injected, showing that the maternal instinct is strong. The milk from these goats is very high in total solids, however, amounting to 163 to 177 kg per kilogram of milk. The differences in values between the sources of information seen in Table 9 may be the result of experimental methodology and chemical analysis. The energy level of goat milk is higher than that of cattle milk, which ranges between 3.3 and 3.8 MJ per kilogram of milk. -No policy is available yet for goat milk production and marketing. There is a need to embark on dairy goat breeding using cross-breeding programmes and, at the same time, to begin to study the milk production capabilities of local goats throughout the country in order to form a base for the improvement of milk production of small ruminants and the diversification of species used for milk production. The establishment of a marketing policy for goat milk will help to increase goat milk production.

Local demand for milk in Malawi is very high; however, Von Massow (1984) estimated that milk consumption per caput was only 6 kg. As this is too low, about 27 million kg of milk equivalents are imported annually. It is believed that the introduction of goat milk production in Malawi could make a great contribution towards meeting the protein needs of the country.

Local goats are rarely milked in Malawi. However, Banda (1992a) observed in a survey recently conducted that elderly people in Salima, central Malawi, remember having milked goats before the inception of cattle dairying in the early 1960s. Further studies indicated that people in Malawi do not discriminate against goat milk. The reason they gave for not consuming goat milk was that it was not available (Banda, 1992a; Banda and Phiri, 1990). The problem, therefore, seems to be that of the goat genotype and breeding. As a result of this, Saanen bucks were imported by the Malawi-German Livestock Development Programme in 1986 and by the Bunda College of Agriculture in 1987 for cross-breeding purposes in order to improve the milk production potential of local goats. This work is in progress and will be reported on as soon as sufficient data have been collected.

6 Available biomass of plant groups up to a height of 2 m and feeding time - Biomasse disponible des espèces végétales de moins de 2 m de haut et temps d'alimentation - Biomasa disponible de los grupos vegetales hasta una altura de 2 m y tiempo de alimentación

	Wet season		Dry season
	Plant cover (%)	Feeding time (% of total)	Plant cover (%)	Feeding time (% of total)
Grass, fresh	61.9	46.7	traces	0.6
Grass, dry	-	-	15.1	3.4
Herbs, fresh	4.7	7.0	traces	-
Herbs, dry	-	-	traces	1.8
Browse, fresh	12.6	46.3	traces	1.4
Browse, dry	-	-	25.3	92.8

Source: Lohrmann, 1987.

7 Nutrient analysis of leaves at the Lifidzi Goat Breeding Centre - Analyse de feuilles au centre d'élevage caprin de Lifidzi - Análisis de los nutrientes de las hojas en el Centro de Cría de Caprinos de Lifidzi

	Wet season	Dry season
Crude protein (%)	14.1	9.5
Cellulose (%)	17.4	23.1
Organic matter digestibility	49.2	44.5
Calcium:phosphorus ratio	11.5	-
ME (MJ/kg dry matter)	6.6	5.5

8 Live weights, slaughter weights and weights of body parts of local Malawi goats - Poids vif, poids de carcasse et poids de quelques organes de la chèvre du Malawi - Peso vivo, peso en el sacrificio y peso de los órganos corporales de cabras de raza local

	Class of animal
	Female	Entire male	Castrated male
Number	183	51	40
Live weight (kg)	15.7	19.6	21.7
Dressed weight (kg)	13.4	10.3	11.6
Body parts
- head (kg)	1.8	1.6	1.6
- liver (kg)	0.7	0.6	0.7
- skin (kg)	1.7	1.5	1.6
- lungs (kg)	0.5	0.4	0.5
- heart (kg)	0.4	0.3	0.4
- testes (kg)	-	0.4	-
Dressing percentage	52.3	52.4	53.6
Edible proportion (%)	74.0	67.3	68.2

Source: Kamwanja, Ayoade and Makhambera, 1985

9 Milk yield and composition of local Malawi goat - Production et composition du lait de la chèvre du Malawi - Producción y composición de la leche de las cabras de raza local

	Source
	11	22
Daily milk yield
Suckling method	1020 ± 21.2 g	0.29 ± 0.06 kg
Hand-milking method	600 ± 18.8 g	0.21 ± 0.05 kg
Oxytocin + hand milking	900 ± 18-8 g	0.23 ± 0.06 kg
Milk composition (%)
Total solids	17.7 ± 0.09	16.3 ± 1.0
Fat	6.9 ± 0.07	6.7 ± 0.82
Solids, other than fat	10.8 ± 0.08	9.6 ± 0.81
Ash	0.88 ± 0.004	1.1 ± 0.31
Protein	4.7 ± 0.02	2.2 ± 0.43
Lactose	4.7 ± 0.03	5.3 ± 0.79
Estimated energy (MJ/kg)	4.6 ± 0.03	4.0

¹ Banda, 1992b.
² Mwenefumbo and Phoya, 1982.

Raised goat khola (house) with slatted floor made of local materials - Logement de chèvre Khola élevée sur caillebotis fait avec des matériaux locaux - Aprisco para cabras de Khola con piso enrejado dispuesto en altura v. hecho con materiales locales Photos/Fotos: Media Production Unit, Bunda College of Agriculture, University of Malawi

Diseases and parasites

It is said that the Malawi goat is hardy and therefore suffers fewer health problems than other stock. There is little data to support this view, yet it may be true that they have fewer problems. This shows the need for appropriate attention and investigation by health personnel.

Diseases such as mange, and sometimes orf, do appear. Brucellosis has not been documented in goats in Malawi so far. Parasites, including liver flukes and roundworms (helminths), are the main source of infestation in goats during the rainy season. According to Reynolds (1979), postnatal deaths in kids occur in June through August as a result of the cold weather, which causes pneumonia. Adult goats are at high risk during the rainy season from November through December because the level of internal parasites increases sharply. Data in Table 3 indicate that the pre-weaning mortality rate was 37.5 percent for Boer x local kids and 16.7 percent for local kids under the village management system. The 16.7 percent mortality rate obtained for local kids is similar to that of 15 percent reported for local kids at two villages in Nigeria by Matthewman (1977). These ranges also agree with those reported by Karua (1989a).

Final remarks

The performance of local Malawi goats is said to be fair in terms of meat production and poor with regard to milk yields, probably because of unfavourable conditions such as little research and low financial priority, disease, inefficient husbandry, and poor nutrition and harsh climates. Cross-breeding with Boer goats promises improvements in the growth rates and therefore in meat production, but the rearing performance and meat production ability of the local goats need further evaluation. The actual and potential productivity of the goats must be known before the existing productivity gap can be demonstrated.

Renewed interest in small ruminants in the tropical world has caused animal scientists and policy-makers to include these species in research and development projects. However, basic information on local animals such as goats is urgently required, as any improvements will be based on this type of information. Since the information contained in this paper is sparse, more work needs to be done to strengthen each of the areas covered. A systems approach to information generation should be the method followed. Of immediate importance are the national evaluation of the milk production capabilities of all available goats (the evaluation of meat production capabilities should continue), the improvement of management or husbandry systems and the establishment of a milk and meat marketing policy for goats (and sheep).

Bibliography

Anon. 1983. Annual livestock census - national livestock numbers Lilongwe, Malawi, Department of Animal Health and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture.

Ayoade, J.A. 1981. Body measurements and weights of Malawian local goats. Trop. Anim. Health Prod., 4(4): 355.

Ayoade, J.A. 1982. A note on the individuality of intake of free water by pregnant non-lactating Malawian local goat. Bunda Coll. Agric. Res. Bull., 11: 23-24.

Ayoade, J.A. 1984. Evaluation of the leaves of trees and shrubs as feeds for goats. II. The nutritive value of "Mnyungo" leaves (Acacia polycantha spp. camplylantha). Bunda Coll. Agric. Res. Bull., 12: 168-170.

Ayoade, J.A. & Butterworth, M.H. 1982. The relationship between birth and weaning weights in kids of Malawian local goats, Boer and their crosses. Trop. Anim. Health Prod., 7(2): 113.

Ayoade, J.A. & Kamwanja, L.A. 1985. A note on the preweaning body weight changes and mortality in Malawi local and Malawi local x Boer kids under village management system. Paper presented at the 5th Veterinary Association Conference, September 1985, Salima, Malawi.

Ayoade, J.A., Makhambera, T.P.E. & Bodzalekani, M.Z. 1983. Voluntary intakes, digestibility and nitrogen utilization of groundnut and bean haulms. S. Afr. J. Anim. Sci., 13(1): 12-13.

Ayoade, J.A. & Njewa, B.J. 1984. Utilisation of agricultural residues by livestock. I. Physical forms as a factor affecting the utilisation of bean and groundnut haulms by goats. Bunda Coll. Agric. Res. Bull., 12: 61-68.

Ayoade, J.A. & Tambala, P.A.J. 1984. The effect of concentrate supplementation on voluntary intake and digestibility of chopped groundnut haulms. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Association for Advancement of Science of Malawi, 17-18 December, Blantyre, Malawi.

Banda, J.W. 1992a. Acceptability of goat's, sheep's and cow's milk in Malawi. J. Consumer Stud. Home Econ., 16. (In press)

Banda, J.W. 1992b. Genotypic and seasonal influences on milk yield and milk composition of sheep and goats in Malawi. Giessen, Germany, Justus-Liebig-University. (Ph.D. thesis)

Banda, J.L.L. & Ayoade, J.A. 1985. Leucaena leaf hay as protein supplement for Malawian goats fed chopped maize stover. In T.R. Preston & M.Y. Wuwanzakpa, eds. Towards optimal feeding of agricultural by-products to livestock in Africa, p. 124-128. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, International Livestock Centre for Africa.

Banda, J.W. & Phiri, C.D. 1990. Investigations into the factors influencing the choice and consumption of milk and milk products in Malawi. J. Consumer Stud. Home Econ., 14: 123-131.

Butterworth, M.H. & McNitt, J.I. 1984. The Malawi Zebu. World Anim. Rev., 49: 6-12.

Devendra, C. & Burns, M. 1970. Goat production in the tropics. Technical Communication No. 19. Farham Royal, Bucks, UK, Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux.

Devendra, C. & McLeroy, G.B. 1982. Goat and sheep production in the tropics, 1st ed. London, UK, Longman.

Epstein, H. 1971. The origin of the domestic animals of Africa, vol. 2. New York, NY, USA, Africana Publications.

Gall, C. 1975. Milk production from sheep and goats. World Anim. Rev., 13: 1-8.

Joubert, D.M. 1973. Goats in animal agriculture in southern Africa. Zeitschrift für Tierzüchtung und Züchtungsbiologie, 90: 245-261.

Kamwanja, L.A., Ayoade, J.A. & Makhambera, T.P.E. 1985. Characterisation of small ruminants in the Mitundu Area, Lilongwe, Malawi. In R.T. Wilson & D. Bourzat, eds. Small ruminants in African agriculture, p. 164-172. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, International Livestock Centre for Africa.

Kanyerere, D.E. & Kamwanja, L.A. 1988. Some reproductive phenomena of ruminants and their implications in meat production. Paper presented at the National Workshop on Livestock Production in Zomba, Malawi, 3-9 January 1988.

Karua, S.K. 1989a. Some performance indicators of Malawi goats under village and ranch conditions. In R.T. Wilson & M. Azeb, eds. African small ruminant research and development, p. 23-36. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, International Livestock Centre for Africa.

Karua, S.K. 1989b. A study of some of the phenotypic characteristics of the indigenous goats in Malawi. Lilongwe, Malawi, University of Malawi. (M.Sc. thesis)

Karua, S.K. & Banda, J.W. 1990. Dairy goat breeding in Malawi: gestation length, birth weights and growth of the indigenous Malawi goats and their Saanen crosses. Paper presented at the First Biannual Conference of the African Small Ruminant Research Network, 10-15 December 1990, Nairobi, Kenya.

Kasowanjete, M., Stotz, D. & Zerfas, H.-P. 1987. Goat development programme in Malawi. The Small Ruminant and Camel Group Newsletter, No. 8, p. 15-21. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, International Livestock Centre for Africa.

Lohrmann, J. 1987. Feed selection and nutrient intake of goats in Malawi. Lilongwe, Malawi, Malawi-German Livestock Development Programme, Department of Animal Health and Industry, Ministry of Agriculture.

Matthewman, R.W. 1977. Small livestock production in two villages in the forest and derived savanna zones of southwest Nigeria. In Trypano-tolerant livestock in West and Central Africa, ILCA Monograph No. 2, p. 212. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, International Livestock Centre for Africa.

McDowell, R.E. 1977. The goat as a producer of meat. Cornell International Agriculture, Mimeograph 56.

Mwenefumbo, A.L. & Phoya, R.K.D. 1982. Composition and milk yield of Malawian local goat. Trop. Anim. Health Prod., 7(1): 71.

Phoya, R.K.D. 1986. Goat production in Malawi. Paper presented at a Workshop on Research on Smallholder Dairy, Small Ruminants and Pig and Poultry Production in SADCC, 24-26 November 1986, Maseru, Lesotho.

Reynolds, L. 1979. Breeding performance and growth rate of indigenous Malawi goat. Bunda Coll. Agric. Res. Bull., 10: 90-100.

Reynolds, L. 1981. Nitrogen metabolism in indigenous Malawi goats. J. Agric. Sci. (Camb.), 96: 349-351.

Von Massow, V.H. 1984. Dairy imports into sub-Saharan Africa: development and policies. LPU Working Paper No. 4. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, International Livestock Centre for Africa.