In a study involving over 300 pelves from lambs of known age at slaughter it was shown that time of ossification was poorly related to age of lamb. The youngest lamb with an ossified pelvis was a female aged 22·4 weeks and at the other end of the scale a third of a group of 45-week-old castrated male lamb pelves were not ossified. Female lamb pelves ossified earlier than castrated male lamb pelves. Carcasses with ossified pelves at a given age tended to be heavier than those with pelves not ossified and pelves of well-fed lambs probably ossified before those of poorly fed lambs. The results indicate that the suggested Codex method for a carcass classification or grading system for dividing lamb carcasses into those under and those over 6 mo of age at slaughter was not accurate. The reason for wanting such a classification is also questioned.

Male crossbred lambs weighing 10 kg were given, by continuous abomasal infusion, one of a series of diets, equal in energy and nitrogen contents, which provided from 0·887 to 14·863 g lysine per 16 g nitrogen. Gross energy intake was l·38MJ/kg0·75 per day. Oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production were measured using an open-circuit respirometer when the lambs weighed 12·5 kg. Neither heat production, as calculated from respiratory gas exchange and urinary nitrogen excretion, nor the gross efficiency of utilization of metabolizable energy were affected by the lysine content of the diets.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of screen size (1, 2 and 3 mm) and microbial phytase (0 and 1000 FTU/kg as-fed) on phytate degradation in maize (100% maize), soybean meal (100% SBM) and maize–SBM (75% maize and 25% SBM) incubated in water for 0, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h at 38°C. Samples were analysed for pH, dry matter and phytate phosphorus (P). Particle size distribution (PSD) and average particle size (APS) of samples were measured by the Laser Diffraction and Bygholm method. PSD differed between the two methods, whereas APS was similar. Decreasing screen size from 3 to 1 mm reduced APS by 48% in maize, 30% in SBM and 26% in maize–SBM. No interaction between screen size and microbial phytase on phytate degradation was observed, but the interaction between microbial phytase and incubation time was significant (P<0.001). This was because microbial phytase reduced phytate P by 88% in maize, 84% in maize–SBM and 75% in SBM after 2 h of incubation (P<0.05), whereas the reduction of phytate P was limited (<50%) in the feeds, even after 24 h when no microbial phytase was added. The exponential decay model was fitted to the feeds with microbial phytase to analyse the effect of screen size and feed on microbial phytase efficacy on phytate degradation. The interaction between screen size and feed affected the relative phytate degradation rate (R d ) of microbial phytase as well as the time to decrease 50% of the phytate P (t $\scale70%{\vskip3pt{{\scale60%{\vskip-7pt1}{\hskip-3pt\vskip-5.6pt\rot160/}{\scale60%{\hskip-4pt\vskip0pt2}$ ) (P<0.001). Thus, changing from 3 to 1 mm screen size increased R d by 22 and 10%/h and shortened t $\scale70%{\vskip3pt{{\scale60%{\vskip-7pt1}{\hskip-3pt\vskip-5.6pt\rot160/}{\scale60%{\hskip-4pt\vskip0pt2}$ by 0.4 and 0.2 h in maize and maize–SBM, respectively (P<0.05), but not in SBM. Moreover, the screen size effect was more pronounced in maize and maize–SBM compared with SBM as a higher phytate degradation rate constant (K d ) and R d , and a shorter t $\scale70%{\vskip3pt{{\scale60%{\vskip-7pt1}{\hskip-3pt\vskip-5.6pt\rot160/}{\scale60%{\hskip-4pt\vskip0pt2}$ was observed in maize compared with SBM in all screen sizes (P<0.05). However, a higher amount of degraded phytate was achieved in SBM than in maize because of the higher initial phytate P content in SBM. In conclusion, reducing screen size from 3 to 1 mm increased K d and R d and decreased t $\scale70%{\vskip3pt{{\scale60%{\vskip-7pt1}{\hskip-3pt\vskip-5.6pt\rot160/}{\scale60%{\hskip-4pt\vskip0pt2}$ in maize and maize–SBM with microbial phytase. The positive effect of grinding on improving microbial phytase efficacy, which was expressed as K d , R d and t $\scale70%{\vskip3pt{{\scale60%{\vskip-7pt1}{\hskip-3pt\vskip-5.6pt\rot160/}{\scale60%{\hskip-4pt\vskip0pt2}$ , was greater in maize than in SBM.

Subcutaneous implantation of the synthetic oestrogens, hexoestrol and stilboestrol is known to increase the daily rate of live-weight gain and to improve the efficiency of food utilisation in lambs (see review by Averill, 1955; Wilkinson et al., 1955; Gill et al.,1956; Jordan & Croom, 1956).

A critical review of these reports shows that despite the numerous experiments testifying to increased and more efficient weight gains as a result of implantation it is not known how much of this extra gain is represented by products saleable for human consumption. Further there is only limited information relating to the chemical composition of the increased live-weight and none concerning the precise nature of the increased efficiency of food conversion in units other than live-weight.

The objective was to investigate the effect of intake before fasting on concentrations of metabolites and hormones, respiratory quotient (RQ) and fasting heat production (HP) using the washed rumen technique and to compare these values with those from the fed state. Six Holstein steers (360±22 kg) were maintained at 21°C and fed three different energy intakes within a replicated 3×3 Latin square design with 21-day periods. Steers were fed alfalfa cubes to provide 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0×NEm during 19 days of each experimental period. Steers were placed in individual metabolism stalls fitted with indirect calorimetry head-boxes on day 20 of each experimental period (FED steers) and fed their normal meal. On day 21 of each period the reticulorumen was emptied, washed and refilled with ruminal buffer (NaCl=96; NaHCO3=24; KHCO3=30; K2HPO4=2; CaCl2=1.5; MgCl2=1.5 mmol/kg of buffer) aerated with 75% N2 and 25% CO2 before introduction to the rumen (steers were not fed; WASHED steers). Each gas exchange was measured over 24 h. HP for 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0×NEm were 479, 597 and 714 kJ/daykg0.75 (s.e.m. =16), respectively. The plateau RQ was 0.756, 0.824 and 0.860 for the 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0×NEm intakes for the FED steers, respectively. After rumen washing, fasting HP was 331, 359 and 400 kJ/daykg0.75 (s.e.m.=13) for 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0×NEm intakes before fasting, respectively. The RQ for WASHED rumen steers was 0.717, 0.710 and 0.719, respectively. Cortisol and β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations in WASHED rumen steers did not exceed threshold levels for severe energy deficit and stress as can be induced from prolonged fasting. This study demonstrates that a fasting state can be emulated using the washed rumen technique, minimizing the time required as opposed to traditional fasting methodologies, without causing a severe energy deficit and stress.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of feeding equal quantities of milk during the pre-weaning period through different milk-feeding regimes on calf growth, starter intake and selected blood metabolites. In experiment 1, 44 female Holstein calves (3 days of age and 39.2±4.3 kg of BW) were distributed randomly to one of two milk-feeding programs (1 calf per pen; 22 pens per treatment group): (1) consistent (CONS; 6 l/day of milk from days 3 to 60 and 3 l/day from days 61 to 65 of age) or (2) step-up/step-down (SUSD; 5 l/day of milk from days 3 to 15, 8 l/day from days 16 to 40, 6 l/day from days 41 to 50, 3 l/day from days 51 to 60 and then 2 l/day from days 61 to 65 of age). No difference between treatments was observed in starter consumption, feed efficiency, hip width and heart girth. However, pre-weaning average daily gain (ADG) tended to be greater in CONS than in SUSD calves (0.78 v. 0.70 kg/day; P=0.07). Blood β-hydroxybutyrate at day 45 (pre-weaning) was lower in SUSD than in CONS calves (0.14 v. 0.21±0.013 mmol/l). In experiment 2, 26 male Holstein calves (3 days of age and 39.4±4.1 kg of BW) were assigned at random to one of two milk-feeding protocols (1 calf per pen; 13 pens per treatment group): (1) consistent (CONS; (7 l/day of milk from days 3 to 40 and 2 l/day from days 41 to 45 of age) or (2) step-down (STD; 8 l/day of milk from days 3 to 30, 4 l/day from days 31 to 40 and 2 l/day from days 41 to 45 of age). The milk-feeding program had no effect on the performance measurements, with the exception that ADG (days 15 to 30), starter intake (days 30 to 45) and heart girth (day 45) were greater in STD than in CONS calves. In conclusion, it appears that if the total amount of milk intake is held constant over the course of milk-feeding period, the method of milk feeding would have negligible effects on calf performance.

Spineless cactus is a useful feed for various animal species in arid and semiarid regions due to its adaptability to dry and harsh soil, high efficiency of water use and carbohydrates storage. This meta-analysis was carried out to assess the effect of spineless cactus on animal performance, and develop and evaluate equations to predict dry matter intake (DMI) and average daily gain (ADG) in meat lambs. Equations for predicting DMI and ADG as a function of animal and diet characteristics were developed using data from eight experiments. The dataset was comprised of 40 treatment means from 289 meat lambs, in which cactus was included from 0 to 75% of the diet dry matter (DM). Accuracy and precision were evaluated by cross-validation using the mean square error of prediction (MSEP), which was decomposed into mean bias, systematic bias and random error; concordance correlation coefficient, which was decomposed into accuracy (Cb) and precision (ρ); and coefficient of determination (R2). In addition, the data set was used to evaluate the predicting accuracy and precision of the main lamb feeding systems (Agricultural and Food Research Council, Small Ruminant Nutritional System, National Research Council and Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique) and also two Brazilian studies. The DMI, CP intake (CPI), metabolizable energy (ME) intake and ADG increased when cactus was included up to 499 g/kg DM (P<0.001). In contrast, animals fed high levels of cactus (>500 g/kg DM) had a decreased DMI, CPI and NDF intake, but increased feed efficiency (P<0.001) and similar ADG compared with those without cactus addition. The DMI was positively correlated with initial BW, final BW, concentrate and ADG, while it was negatively correlated with cactus inclusion and ME of the diet. On other hand, ADG was positively correlated with DMI, initial and mean BW and concentrate, and it was negatively correlated with cactus inclusion. The two developed equations had high accuracy (Cb of 0.95 for DMI and 0.94 for ADG) and the random error of MSEP was 99% for both equations. The precision of both equations was moderate, with R2 values of 0.53 and 0.50 and ρ values of 0.73 and 0.71 for DMI and ADG, respectively. In conclusion, the developed equation to predict DMI had moderate precision and high accuracy, nonetheless, it was more efficient than those reported in the literature. The proposed equations can be a useful alternative to estimate intake and performance of lambs fed cactus.

The aim of the present research was to evaluate bovine muscles to be subjected to freeze-drying for an instant meal. Physicochemical and senescence parameters were evaluated. The experimental part was divided into two steps. In the first step, the Semitendinosus muscle was chosen to establish methodology and experimental conditions. Physicochemical, microstructure and senescence parameters were analysed. In the second step, economic bovine muscles such as Semimembranous and Spinalis dorsi were subjected to the same methodology and conditions as in the first step in order to compare them by analysing the same parameters. L* and a* values were statistically significant (P<0.05) for Semimembranous and Spinalis dorsi muscles, showing differences among condition effects and in muscles. Humidity and water activity showed among the muscles analysed that cooked and rehydrated samples did not exhibit differences. Microstructure of Semitendinosus and Semimembranous were not separated and fragmented as occurred with Spinalis dorsi after freeze-drying. Results allowed us to select among the muscles studied that Semimembranous was suitable and economic to be used in an instant meal.

The present study investigated the effect of hydrothermic maize processing and supplementation of amino acids (AA) in two experiments. In total, 60 barrows and 384 broilers were fed four diets including either unprocessed (T1), or hydrothermically processed maize, that is short- (T2), or long-term conditioned (LC) (T3), and subsequently expanded maize of the same batch. Assuming a higher metabolizable energy (ME) content after processing, the fourth diet (T4) contains maize processed as treatment T3, but AA were supplemented to maintain the ideal protein value. Performance, digestibility and product quality in both species were assessed. Results show that in pigs receiving T4 the average daily feed intake was lower compared with the other treatments, whereas no difference was observed in broilers. The T3 improved the feed conversion rate compared with T1 (P<0.10) for both species. In contrast, average daily gain (ADG) (1277 g/day for T2 and 1267 g/day for T3 v. 971 g/day for T1) was only altered in pigs. The hydrothermic maize processing increased the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter, starch and ether extract after acid hydrolysis. This may be a consequence of higher ATTD of gross energy in the finishing phase for both animal species, suggesting a higher ME content in diets with processed maize. The higher ME content of diets with processed maize is supported also by measurements of product quality. Supplementation of AA in T4 enhanced the loin depth in pigs as well as the amount of breast meat in broilers. Further effects of processing maize on meat quality were the reduced yellowness and antioxidative capacity (P<0.10) for broilers, likely due to the heat damage of xanthophylls and tocopherols. Processing also increased springiness and chewiness (P<0.10) of the broilers breast meat, whereas the loin meat of pigs showed a decreased lightness and yellowness (P<0.10) in meat when hydrothermic processed maize was used (for T2, T3 and T4). LC processed maize (T3) showed the lowest springiness in pork, however the supplementation of AA in T4 did not show differences between the treatments. Shown results demonstrated positive effects of hydrothermic processing of maize on animal performance and digestibility in both species. However, effects on carcass characteristics and product quality differed. The negative effects on product quality could be partly compensated with the AA supplementation, whereas a change in meat colour and reduced antioxidative capacity was observed in all groups fed hydrothermic maize processing.

This study examined the effects on intake, diurnal rumen pH changes, rumination and digestibility of feeding ruminally cannulated non-lactating cows in a Latin square design (four cows×four periods) with four total mixed rations (TMRs) typical for lactating cows. TMRs were based on: long wheat hay or short wheat hay, wheat silage or wheat silage+1.5% NaHCO3 buffer, as the sole roughage source (30% of TMR dry matter (DM)). The level of physically effective NDF remaining above the 8 mm screen (peNDF) was similar in the long hay and silage-based TMRs (9.45% to 9.64% of DM) and lower in the short hay TMR (7.47% of DM). The four TMRs were offered individually at 95% of ad libitum intake to avoid orts within 24 h. Cows fed long hay consumed less DM than the short hay and silage groups (9.6 v. 10.5 and 10.8 kg/day, respectively) and sorted against large hay particles at 12 h post-feeding. Under the limitations of this study (non-lactating cows fed at restricted intake) short hay TMR prevented sorting within 12 h post-feeding, encouraged rumination per kg peNDF ingested, and had higher average rumen pH (6.24), whereas preventing sub acute ruminal acidosis (SARA, defined as pH<5.8 for at least 5 h/day). In contrast, the long hay and silage-based groups were under SARA. In vitro methane production of rumen fluid was higher in the hay-fed cows than in their silage-fed counterparts, and in all treatments lower at 1 h pre-feeding than at 6 h post-feeding. In vivo DM and NDF digestibility were similar for the short hay and silage TMRs, and higher than those of the long hay TMR. Under the conditions of this study, addition of 1.5% buffer to the wheat silage TMR had no effect on intake, rumen pH, creation of SARA and digestibility.

The aim of this study was to examine the metabolic response to feed deprivation up to 48 h in low and high yielding lamb genotypes. It was hypothesised that Terminal sired lambs would have decreased plasma glucose and increased plasma non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHOB) concentrations in response to feed deprivation compared to Merino sired lambs. In addition, it was hypothesised that the metabolic changes due to feed deprivation would also be greater in progeny of sires with breeding values for greater growth, muscling and leanness. Eighty nine lambs (45 ewes, 44 wethers) from Merino dams with Merino or Terminal sires with a range in Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) for post-weaning weight (PWT), post-weaning eye muscle depth and post-weaning fat depth (PFAT) were used in this experiment. Blood samples were collected via jugular cannulas every 6 h from time 0 to 48 h of feed deprivation for the determination of plasma glucose, NEFA, BHOB and lactate concentration. From 12 to 48 h of feed deprivation plasma glucose concentration decreased (P < 0.05) by 25% from 4.04 ± 0.032 mmol/l to 3.04 ± 0.032 mmol/l. From 6 h NEFA concentration increased (P < 0.05) from 0.15 ± 0.021 mmol/l by almost 10-fold to 1.34 ± 0.021 mmol/l at 48 h of feed deprivation. Feed deprivation also influenced BHOB concentrations and from 12 to 48 h it increased (P < 0.05) from 0.15 ± 0.010 mmol/l to 0.52 ± 0.010 mmol/l. Merino sired lambs had a 8% greater reduction in glucose and 29% and 10% higher NEFA and BHOB response, respectively, compared to Terminal sired lambs (P < 0.05). In Merino sired lambs, increasing PWT was also associated with an increase in glucose and decline in NEFA and BHOB concentration (P < 0.05). In Terminal sired lambs, increasing PFAT was associated with an increase in glucose and decline in NEFA concentration (P < 0.05). Contrary to the hypothesis, Merino sired lambs showed the greatest metabolic response to fasting especially in regards to fat metabolism.

Considering the additional market value of pasture meat, many authentication methods were developed to discriminate it from meat produced in conventional systems. The visible reflectance spectroscopy technique has proved its efficiency under European conditions and breeds. The present study tested the reliability of this method to discriminate between pasture-fed (P) and stall-fed (S) lambs under North African conditions and investigated the effect of feeding system (FS) (P v. S) and breed (Barbarine; Queue Fine de l’Ouest; and Noire de Thibar) on weight and colour of perirenal, subcutaneous and caudal fat. A total of 18 P and 18 S lambs were used with 6 P and 6 S lambs for each breed. The colour and the reflectance spectrum of different fat tissues were measured. The FS affected weights of all fat tissues and all colour parameters of perirenal and subcutaneous fat (P ≤ 0.01); it almost affected redness and yellowness of caudal fat (P ≤ 0.05; P ≤ 0.01). In all adipose tissues, lightness was higher and both redness and yellowness were lower for S lambs than P lambs. The breed affected weight, lightness and redness of perirenal fat and weight and redness of subcutaneous fat with significant interaction with FS for subcutaneous fat data. To discriminate P lambs from S lambs, the reflectance spectrum of perirenal, subcutaneous and caudal fat at wavelengths between 450 and 510 nm (Method 1, M1) or at wavelengths between 400 and 700 nm using partial least squares discriminative analysis as a classification method (Method 2, M2) were used. M2 yielded to a higher proportion of correctly classified lambs compared with M1 (P = 0.001). The proportion of correctly classified lambs using M2 was 76.4, 75.0 and 80.0% for perirenal, subcutaneous and caudal fat for P lambs and 83.3, 76.4 and 100.0% for S lambs. Despite lower reliability in comparisons to European researches, this study confirmed the efficiency of visible reflectance spectroscopy technique applied on perirenal fat in feeding systems authentication under North African conditions and spotted the caudal fat as a new support for better classification of fat-tailed breeds.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of restricted feeding before puberty on reproduction, lactation and offspring growth performance in replacement ewe lambs over two breeding seasons. At weaning, 41 Dorset ewe lambs were assigned to one of three diets: an ad libitum control diet with medium-quality forage (MQF; 13.3% crude protein (CP), 1.81 Mcal metabolizable energy per kg, 42.8% ADF; diet A-MQF); a restricted diet with the same forage as A but less feed concentrate (diet R-MQF); or a high-quality forage (HQF) diet (14.8% CP, 2.15 Mcal ME/kg, 34.7% ADF; diet F-HQF). The quantity of concentrate offered to the group R-MQF and F-HQF ewe lambs was adjusted to obtain 70% of the control ewe lambs’ growth rate. The diets were offered for 75 days following weaning to cover the allometric phase of mammary gland development. Prepubertal restriction did not affect (P > 0.10) the gestation rate, number of lambs born or the body weight and body condition score of ewes at lambing or at the end of lactation. Ewes from groups R-MQF and F-HQF tended to produce more milk during their first lactation compared to those from group A-MQF (P = 0.07). During the second lactation, groups R-MQF and F-HQF had better standardized milk production than group A-MQF (P < 0.05), and group R-MQF produced more milk than group F-HQF (P < 0.05). Milk fat and protein content were not affected by treatments (P > 0.10) Fat and protein yield were affected by treatments only at the second lactation (P < 0.10 and P < 0.05, respectively). Lamb birth and weaning weights were not affected by prepubertal restriction of feeding in their mother (P > 0.10). However, the average daily gain of second breeding season lambs was higher for the R-MQF group than the F-HQF group (P < 0.05), and a similar trend was observed for total gain (P < 0.10). Restricted feeding before puberty does not impair future reproductive performance; however, it has a positive impact on lactation and on lambs’ growth performance.

Eight groups of six Yorkshire gilts were either exposed (BE) or not exposed (NE) to a mature boar at 160 days of age. These groups of gilts were slaughtered at 160, 165, 170 and 180 days of age for examination of their reproductive tracts.

NE gilts remained pre-pubertal from 160 to 180 days, with uterine weights of 121·6 g and 148·0 g respectively. Boar exposure induced ovulation in three out of five gilts by day 170 and in five out of six gilts by day 180. Uterine weight increased in BE gilts from 121·6 g at 160 days to 343·6 g, 298·0 g and 535·6 g by days 165, 170 and 180 respectively. This was accompanied by an increase in the number of large ovarian follicles (≤ 6 mm in diameter) from 0 at 160 days to 9·0 at 165 and 4·2 at 170 days.

These results confirm the potent stimulatory effect of boar exposure on puberty in gilts and suggest the use of ovarian status and uterine weight at slaughter 10 days after stimulation as a reliable indicator of the response of the pre-pubertal gilt to environmental change.

Two groups of 12 Belgian Blue double-muscled cull females were used successively in a 2-year repeated experiment and divided into three groups according to age, allowing four animals per group each year. The aim of the trial was to relate, during the finishing period, the metabolic and endocrine parameters with age. Females were fattened with a diet based on maize silage and were blood sampled on several occasions. The average daily gain (ADG) decreased with the age of the cows. Plasma glucose and triglycerides decreased also with age while the youngest females showed lower concentrations of urea than those older. The composition of plasma non-esterified fatty acids also differed considerably between groups. The hormones that best related with ADG were IGF-1 and insulin. Plasma concentrations of thyroid hormones were lower in the oldest animals. No difference between groups was found for GH. Heifers presented lower concentrations of GH and IGF-1 than those reported elsewhere in fattening bulls of the same breed. It may be concluded that in Belgian Blue double-muscled females, glucose, IGF-1 and insulin are good indicators of the growth potential. Young adult cows presented intermediate characteristics of metabolic and endocrine status that were close either to younger or to older cows.

A feeding experiment was carried out to assess the effect on performance of three stocking rates in identical-sized pens with pigs growing from 25 to 60 kg live weight. Groups of 8,10 and 12 pigs per pen, 300 pigs in total, were used with lying plus exercise space allowances of 0·61, 0·49 and 0·41 m2 per pig respectively and an additional dunging area in each pen of 2·7 m2. There were no significant differences in rate of growth, food: gain ratio, days to slaughter or carcass backfat measurements. With 12 pigs per pen, the pigs tended to be dirtier and cleaning out of pens was more difficult. It was concluded that under the conditions prevailing a group size of 10 pigs gave the stocking rate of choice.

The efficiency of oestrus detection is probably the most important factor determining the profitability of the dairy farming enterprise. With current trends towards larqer herds and fewer stockmen, achieving a 365 day calving interval has become increasingly difficult, with each oestrus missed representing considerable economic loss (Esslemont and Bryant, 1976). This highlights the need for an accurate method of oestrus detection

An experiment was undertaken to evaluate the use of milk temperature as a method of oestrus detection.

The meat industry has come under increasing pressure in recent years: there is increased competition between the meat species and between neat and non-meat alternatives. Earlier qualitative consumer research (Wright and Slattery, 1986) highlighted several factors causing concern which were apparently affecting meat consumption. These factors included an awareness of the causal link between dietary fat and coronary heart disease; interest in the quality of meat; concern regarding the use of growth hormones and/or food additives and concern regarding animal welfare issues. A greater understanding of consumer attitudes towards meat which might be effecting a reduction in consumption is needed if the industry is to devise successful production and marketing strategies. This forms the rationale for this investigation.

The pattern of follicle activity and fibre growth on the neck, mid side and rear leg of 12 Scottish Cashmere (SC) and nine Siberian (S) goat kids was examined from birth to 255 days of age. In both genotypes maximum secondary to primary follicle (S/P) ratio was reached earliest on the neck (P < 0·05) but was proportionately 0·21 and 0·28 (P < 0·001) lower than that on the rear leg and mid side respectively. Secondary follicle activity ceased earlier on the rear leg than the mid side or neck (P < 0·001) and this was associated with lower staple lengths and patch weights of undercoat. Fibre weight and diameter were compared on six body parts: neck, front leg, mid side, rear leg, rump and belly at 255 days of age. Patch undercoat weights and diameter were greatest on the neck, front leg and rump and lowest on the belly.

The estimated annual production of undercoat, calculated from patch weights and skin area measurements on the six parts of the body at 255 days of age was 138 (range 42 to 260) g for SC kids and 525 (range 377 to 661) g for S kids (s.e.d. = 39·4, P < 0·001). Mean undercoat diameter was 16·15 (range 15·32 to 17·51) and 18·94 (range 17·25 to 19·89) μm for SC and S kids respectively (s.e.d. = 0·376, P < 0·001).

Correlation coefficients between fibre traits, measured at approximately monthly intervals and estimates of annual production and undercoat diameter at 255 days were calculated. For SC kids mid-side patch undercoat weight was consistently and strongly related to estimated annual production (mean correlation coefficient, 0·85, s.e. 0·036). For S kids the only variable to show a consistently strong relationship with estimated annual production was mid-side undercoat staple length × diameter2 (mean correlation coefficient 0·66, s.e. 0·067). Thus the best fibre traits for ranking annual production differed between genotypes. In both cases the accuracy of the ranking increased with age. Undercoat fibre diameter measured from 4 to 5 months of age was closely related to estimated undercoat diameter at 255 days of age in both SC and S genotypes (mean correlation coefficient 0·92, s.e. 0·009). Prior to 4 months of age the mean correlation coefficient for SC and S genotypes was 0·53 (s.e. 0·20).

It is concluded that goat kids can be ranked for annual production and diameter of the undercoat, prior to first harvesting, based on fibre traits measured on samples of the fleece.

To avoid winter scarcity of fresh goat milk, simple methods of advancing the season of kidding would be commercially valuable. A combination of long-day light treatment followed by melatonin is successful but other aspects of seasonality including coat growth are also reset. To investigate whether effects on breeding season and coat growth can be dissociated, British Saanen dairy goats (no. = 30) were randomly allocated to one of six groups. Control goats were untreated. Goats in the other five groups received 2 months of treatment with 20 h light: 4 h darkness (20L: 4D) and were then given 3 mg melatonin orally at 16.00 hfor 2 months. The treatments started on 11 January (group 1), 29 March (group 2), 14 June (group 3), 30 August (group 4) and 8 November (group 5). Weekly blood samples were taken for the measurement of progesterone to monitor ovarian activity and prolactin. Side patches (10 cm ×10 cm) were clipped monthly from alternate sides and weighed to measure coat growth. The onset of ovarian activity was advanced from a median date of 15 November in controls to 24 May in group 1 (P < 0·01), 16 August in group 2 (P < 0·05) and 18 October in group 3 (? < 0·05). Groups 4 and 5 showed no significant change in the onset of oestrus (median onset dates 8 November and 1 November, respectively). Group 1 goats came into season again with controls in November. In all except group 5, treatment interacted with time to affect significantly the growth of the coat. The pattern of coat growth was most altered (P < 0·001) in groups 1 and 2. This was associated with effects on plasma prolactin concentrations of light stimulation and melatonin suppression. Group 1 goats resynchronized with control goats to show a coat of normal weight in the winter following treatment. Division of milking goat herds into spring and autumn kidding groups is, therefore, a practical possibility, but effects on overall milk yield require study.