Research Results - (PDF, 101 mb) - USAID

Toggenburg x 1/4 Anglo Nubian x 1/4 East
African x 1/4 Galla).
* Milk and meat production and adaptability
(especially resistance to internal parasites) are
the major selection criteria. The target KDPG
for the smallholder has a milk potential of 4 kg/
day at peak lactation and amature weight of 40
kg.
2. Determination of the genetic mode of inheritance
of resistance to Haemonchus cordortusand
development of a resistant line of KDPG.
Problem Statement and Approach
Developing a new breed is a relatively
long-term process and the time investment
must, therefore, be weighed against needs,
benefits, and alternatives. At the initiation of
the SR-CRSP project in Kenya, four key criteria
for an acceptable and sustainable Kenya Dual
Purpose goat (KDPG) were identified:
1. Survey results showed that a dual purpose
goat was critically needed in the high potential
area of Western Kenya and that, if the forage
resource was developed to its potential, it would
be adequate to support the nutritional requirements
of such a goat.
2. On-farm and on-station studies indicated that
indigenous goats were too low in genetic potential
for growth and milk yield to be an acceptable
base for developing a suitable dual purpose
goat.
3. From experience and research data, it was
evident that exotic dairy breeds were not viable
under the nutritional and management conditions
of the smallholder farmer in Western
Kenya.
4. Although early research demonstrated that
the F,cross between the indigenous and exotic
goats performed satisfactorily, a structured
crossbreeding program was not feasible for
recommending to smallholder farmers.
These four criteria indicated that the
development of a new breed was the best
strategy, because a breed:
* provides a lasting genetic resource;
* can be effectively selected to improve performance
to suit existing conditions; and
* can be adapted to conditions as they change in
the future.
TxE TxG NxE NxG
TE TG NE NG
Z ::-
TNEG TNEG TNEG TNEG
-ijI A"-
SELECTION
T - Toggenburg purebred males
N - Anglo Nubian purebred males
E- East African purebred females
G- Galla purebred females
Figure 1.Formation of the Kenya Dual Purpose Goat.
Therefore, the breeding program in Figure 1 was
designed and implemented to focus on the
genetic aspects of producing a low maintenance
and high milk-producing KDPG for Western
Kenya, which could be adapted to other areas of
Kenya.
Critical to the current phase of stabilization
and selection of an acceptable and sustainable
breed are the numbers of four-way cross
(KDPG) animals available from which a breed
can be established with the required characteristics.
Currently, there are approximately 329 F,
and 155 KDPG does at Ol'Magogo. Projections
are that there will be approximately 400-500
KDPG does by 1993, if the current breeding
strategy is followed. Efforts to optimize husbandry
practices to minimize kid losses are
being implemented to maximize numbers of
animals. Body weights and weight gains are
measured on all kids. Reproductive perfor­
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