Abstract
Thirty-two Teddy goat males aged from birth to 12 months were used for this study, They were divided into 4 groups of 8 ani-mals each viz., group I (birth to 3 months), group II (3-6 months), group III (6-9 months) and group IV (9-12 months). Each group was then randomly allotted to subgroups having castrated and uneastrated animals such that each treatment in etch group had 4 animals. All the experimental animals were grazed in nearly fields. Statistically, the differences between the effects of two treatments and the four age groups on weight gain were non-significant. The total weight gain was 16.50 +0.73, 14.87+0.48, 14.75+ 0.96 and 15 94 1,60 kg in east:Ated and 18.88+1.38, 18,00 + 0.81, 15.37 + 0.48 and 13.00 + 0.48 and 13.00 ± 1.03 kg in uncastrated males in groups I, II, III and IV, respectively.
INTRODUCTION
Grazing the females and males together in the same field leads to certain manageniental problems and affects the health of the animals, The problem is as acute in Teddy goats at the age of maturity as in several other farm animals. If a young buck is kept adjacent to the does, specially when they are in oestrus, the buck is excited and makes efforts to mount the female. It results into loss of appetite and severe arrest of growth and development of the male. Further, a female in heat is disturbed throughout the grazing period which affects her health: Therefore, importance of separation of both sexces at an early age is evident which certainly would involved extra labour. The solution lies either
*Research Officer, Goat Breeding, Livestock Production Research Institute, Bahadurnagar, Okara,
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