Effect of Early Weaning on Growth and Serum Indices of Fuqing Goats

An experiment was conducted in an indoor barn to determine the effect of early weaning on the growth performance of Fuqing goats from birth to 150-day-old and the serum indices when they were 35-day-old. The results showed that the average daily gain (ADG) in 15 to 30 days of the early weaned goats was lower than that of the naturally weaned counterparts (P < 0.01). The ADG became higher as these early weaned goats grew to 60 to 150-day-old and was extremely significantly higher in 120 days and 150 days (2.3 kg heavier) (P < 0.01) than the naturally weaned ones. The serum urea nitrogen, total protein, albumin, total cholesterol, calcium and phosphorus were not significantly different between the groups of young goats. However, the early weaned goats had a lower serum glucose level than their counterparts (P < 0.01). The results suggested that early weaning might accelerate the growth of newborn Fuqing goats.