Performances of Black Bengal Goat in an intensive Breeding farm at Joypurhat district of Bangladesh

Abstract

The study was conducted to evaluate the reproductive performance of Black Bengal goat under intensive management in a breeding farm at Panchbibi Upazilla, Joypurhat district, Bangladesh. A total of 48 Black Bengal does, and 178 their progenies were selected for the assessment of reproductive parameters including age at puberty (first estrus), weight at heat, service per conception, gestation period, age at first kidding, kidding interval, post-partum weight, birth weight, kid mortality, and disease occurrence. Age at puberty was 200.38±8.93 days and age at first kidding was 360.15±13.67 days. Average weight at heat increased significantly (p<0.01) from 19.71±2.48 kg in first parity to 24.36±2.79 kg in third parity. Service per conception decreased significantly (p<0.01) from first parity (2.38±0.89) to third parity (1.65±0.79). Gestation period (147.56±8.20 days) was not affected by parity or season, while kidding interval was significantly (p<0.01) shorter in third parity (187.32±4.77 days) than in second parity (199.89±7.17) days. Post-partum weight increased significantly (p<0.01) with parity advancement. The average post-partum heat interval was 55–65 days across parities. Male kids were significantly (p<0.01) heavier than female kids at birth in first and second parity, though female kids were heavier in third parity. Overall kid mortality was 13.25%, with the highest rate observed during Winter (18.50±10.63%), though seasonal differences were not statistically significant (p=0.262). Pneumonia (32.47%) was the leading cause of kid mortality, while skin diseases (27.69%) and diarrhea (24.62%) were most common in adult does. These findings indicate that intensive management supports favorable reproductive performance in Black Bengal goats, with short kidding intervals enabling approximately two kiddings per year, while winter pneumonia and disease management remain key targets for reducing kid mortality and improving overall productivity.

Bangladesh Journal of Animal Science 55 (2): 53 - 63, 2026