Background: Ziziphus mauritiana (Ber), is a hardy, drought-tolerant shrub/tree species found abundantly across Chhattisgarh. Tribal and rural communities in Chhattisgarh have long used ber as a supplemental livestock feed, especially for goats and sheep. As a naturally available, low-cost resource, ber contributes significantly to sustainable and traditional animal husbandry in Chhattisgarh. Its use reduces dependence on commercial feed inputs, thereby lowering the cost of livestock production. India the research on the use of Ziziphus mauritiana (Ber) in animal feed is very scarce with this in view the present study was conducted. 
 
Methods: An in vivo experiment was conducted on 24 Osmanabadi goat kids (4-5 months old), randomly divided into four groups (T0, T1, T2 and T3) with six animals each, to evaluate the effects of replacing maize with ground whole ber fruit (0%, 20%, 30% and 40%) in concentrate mixtures on growth performance, blood biochemistry and oxidative stress indices. All goats were dewormed, housed under intensive management and fed according to specifications, with uniform crude protein (18.5%) across diets. The 90-day trial involved feeding 200 g/day of respective concentrate mixtures (C0, C2, C3 and C4) along with green fodder (Berseem hay). Body weight, dry matter intake and feed conversion ratio were recorded fortnightly. Blood samples were collected for serum biochemical and oxidative stress markers using standard protocols and diagnostic kits. 
 
Result: The results of the 90-day feeding trial demonstrated that partial replacement of maize with ground whole ber fruit in the concentrate mixture positively influenced growth performance, serum biochemistry and oxidative stress indices in Osmanabadi goat kids. Results revealed that dietary replacement of maize with ber fruit powder up to 40% had no significant effect on fortnightly body weight, average daily gain (ADG), dry matter intake (DMI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). All animals exhibited normal growth patterns throughout the 90-day experimental period. Although numerically higher body weight gain and better FCR were observed in the 40% replacement group (T3), these differences were not statistically significant, indicating that ber fruit powder did not compromise growth performance. Biochemically, T3 exhibited significantly higher serum glucose and total protein levels (P&lt;0.05), along with reduced blood urea nitrogen, cholesterol and triglyceride levels by day 90, suggesting improved energy metabolism, protein utilization and lipid profile. Importantly, oxidative stress indices revealed a significant increase in reduced glutathione (GSH) and a marked decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA) in T2 and T3, reflecting enhanced antioxidant status and reduced lipid peroxidation. Overall, these findings suggest that replacing maize with ground whole ber fruit up to 40% in the diet can be a beneficial strategy for improving growth, health and oxidative stability in growing goats.

Ziziphus mauritiana Fruit as a Maize Substitute in the Diet of Osmanabadi Goat Kids: Effects on Growth, Biochemical Parameters and Oxidative Status

Background: Maternal behaviour and neonatal responses are key factors for kid survival and growth in goats. This study was carried out with an objective to evaluate the influence of parity and season on maternal care, neonatal behaviour, growth performance and survivability of Black Bengal goat kids in eastern India.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Pre and post parturition behaviour of goats (N=70) and neo-natal behaviour of their kids were studied during a period of 15 months. A systematical record of maternal care indices, including latency to groom, nursing, licking, sniffing and acceptance of suckling attempts, along with neonatal behavioural responses such as latency to stand, udder-seeking behaviour and suckling attempts were observed. Growth and kid survivability were evaluated up to weaning and data were analyzed. 
 
Result: Parity of does and season of kidding significantly influenced some of the maternal and neonatal behaviours. First-parity goats showed more maternal separation (p&lt;0.001), their kids had fewer suckling bouts and shorter suckling durations as compared to those of higher order parities. Maternal care improved with the increase in parities. Kids&rsquo; from primiparous does took longer time to stand and locate the udder compared to those from multiparous does (p&lt;0.05). Kids from multiparous mothers showed quicker neonatal behavioral development as compared to kids of nulliparous goat. Kids&rsquo; born from nulliparous does had the lowest survival rate (78.57%), while &ge;4th&nbsp;parity had the highest (91.30%). Winter born kids&rsquo; had higher birth weight (14.45%) and more growth rate (13.85%) and better kid survivability (90.77% vs 80.85%) compared to summer season. Maternal behaviours like grooming and nursing were exhibited better in summer, while winter provided better conditions for kid survival, neonatal behavioural development, body growth and successful suckling. The results indicate that multiparous mothers&rsquo; kidding and nursing experience and good weather conditions during winter are key factors for mother-kid bonding, neonatal survival, post-natal growth and development of kids.

Effect of Kidding Season and Parity on Maternal Care, Neonatal Behaviour, Kid Survivability and Growth Performance of Black Bengal Goats

<div style="text-align: justify;">In this study, some biochemical parameters of hair goat kids which had consumed excessive amounts of oak leaves and acorns in the autumn season and displayed toxicity symptoms during clinical inspections were evaluated. Blood samples were collected from the jugular veins of the goat kids. Glucose, AST, ALT, ALP, GGT, Na, K, Cl, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels of poisoned animals were found to be within the reported reference intervals. Creatinine, total protein, albumin, Ca, Mg and Fe levels, on the other hand, were found to be below the reference intervals. As a result, it was concluded that goats reflect the clinical findings of oak poisoning described in the literature, which courses with lowered amounts of mineral (Fe, Mg, Ca), TP, albumin and creatinine, yet without a significant change in other biochemical parameters. It can also be concluded that excessive consumption of oak by goats was capable of leading to toxicity.</div>

Changes in some biochemical parameters of hair goat kids diagnosed with oak poisoning

<div>Background:&nbsp;High mortality of goat kids due to infectious and non-infectious diseases negatively impacts goat husbandry.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: To study the influence of genetic and nongenetic factors on preweaning mortality of goat kids, three years&rsquo; data (July, 2015 to June, 2018) of breeds maintained at Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute for Research on Goats (ICAR-CIRG) viz. Barbari, Jamunapari and Jakhrana was analyzed to find effect of breed, parity, birth weight, litter size, season of birth, sex and kid&rsquo;s age on mortality. Postmortem findings as entered in the record have been considered to arrive at the cause of mortality.&nbsp; 
 
Result: A preweaning mortality rate of 2.59% was recorded in kids of all the three breeds studied. Mortality rate of Barbari, Jamunapari and Jakhrana kids was found to be 2.15%, 3.39% and 2.13% respectively. Kids birth weight, sex or age had no effect on mortality. Highest mortality was observed in kids born as triplet/quadruplet (4.49%) followed by that in twins (2.88%) and singlets (2.01%). Highest mortality was observed in kids born to primiparous dams (3.95%) followed by kids born to dams having =/&gt; 5th parity (3.01%) and least in 2nd to 4th parity (1.82%). Most of the kids died due to enteritis (38.3%) followed by pneumonia (28.3%), debility and anemia (11.7%) septicemia (10%) and others in remaining 11.7% cases.</div>

​Risk Factors Associated with Preweaning Mortality of Barbari, Jamunapari and Jakhrana Goat Kids

<div>Background: Osmanabadi is the premium meat type goat breed of Maharashtra, known for its adaptability and reproductive efficiency. Identification of superior germplasm and incorporating them into breeding programme is the need of hour for augmenting productivity of Osmanabadi as well as other indigenous goat breeds. Hence, the present research was aimed to study Pituitary Specific Transcription Factor I (POU1F1) gene polymorphism and its associations with body weight of Osmanabadi goat.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from 217 blood samples of randomly selected Osmanabadi goats. The 450 bp fragment of POU1F1 gene encompassing exon-6 and its flanking region (3&rsquo;UTR) was PCR amplified.&nbsp;The PCR amplicon was subjected to RFLP using AluI and PstI restriction enzymes to identify polymorphism at nucleotide position 174 (T&gt;C) in exon 6 and at nucleotide position 110 (T&gt;C) in the 3&rsquo;UTR of POU1F1 gene, respectively. The association of the observed allelic variants / genotypes with body weight of the animals was performed using One-way ANOVA.&nbsp; 
 
Result: The AluI PCR-RFLP of 450 bp amplicon of POU1F1 gene in Osmanabadi goats revealed polymorphism with three different genotypes viz., &lsquo;CC&rsquo;, &lsquo;TT&rsquo; and &lsquo;TC&rsquo;. The observed frequencies for TT, TC and CC genotypes were 0.604, 0.355 and 0.041 respectively. The frequencies of T and C alleles were found to be 0.781 and 0.219, respectively. However, PstI PCR-RFLP revealed monomorphic 3&rsquo;UTR of POU1F1 gene with single TT genotype. We observed significant differences (P&lt;0.01) between various genotypes at AluI exon-6 locus of POU1F1 gene and body weights at birth, 3 and 6 months of Osmanabadi goat. Highest body weight was recorded for TT genotype followed by TC and CC genotypes in all three age groups. Our findings indicate that the AluI PCR-RFLP locus of the exon-6 of POU1F1 gene can be used as a potent molecular marker for selection of superior stock of Osmanabadi goats.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

​POU1F1 Gene Polymorphism and its Associations with Body Weight of Osmanabadi Goat

Background: The goat population in the North East Hill region is approximately 4.37 million, with Assam being the major contributor (6,169,193), while Mizoram accounts for 14,820 goats. Goats are a vital livelihood source for the region&rsquo;s people, with chevon being a preferred meat over pork and beef. Despite its potential, goat farming faces challenges such as inadequate feeding practices, limited grazing land and a significant gap between meat production and demand. 
&nbsp; 
Methods: This study evaluated the effects of weaning age on the growth performance of 24 local nondescript goat kids (aged 0-3 months) reared under the agro-climatic conditions of Mizoram. Over a 90-day period at the Goat Unit, Instructional Livestock Farm Complex, Aizawl, the kids were divided into three treatment groups (T1, T2, T3) with eight animals each. In T1, kids were kept with their mothers for 90 days. In T2, kids were weaned at 60 days and fed cow milk at 1/14th&nbsp;of their body weight, while T3&nbsp;kids were weaned at 45 days and fed cow milk at 1/12th&nbsp;of their body weight until day 60, then at 1/14th&nbsp;until day 90. All kids were given ad libitum access to creep feed and fodder starting on day 15. Total income from live weight gain was calculated considering total cost of feed and milk provided. 
&nbsp; 
Result: The production economy of three treatment groups (T1, T2, T3) was analyzed. Initial&nbsp; average body weights were 1.26 kg (T1), 1.31 kg (T2) and 1.27 kg (T3), increased to 5.86 kg, 6.08 kg and 5.9 kg, respectively. Feed and fodder costs were Rs. 115.51 (T1), Rs. 116.45 (T2) and Rs. 114.45 (T3), with total intake of 3.176 kg, 3.202 kg and 3.147 kg per head. Income from live weight gain was highest in T1&nbsp;(Rs. 1724) but lower in T2&nbsp;(Rs. 1280.79) and T3&nbsp;(Rs. 981.54) due to additional cow milk costs.

Effect of Weaning Age on the Performance of Goat Kids in Mizoram

<div style="text-align: justify;">Prevalence and molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium species was done in kids belonging to organised and non-organised goat farms at Jabalpur. The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium was 14.63%. The prevalence was non-significantly higher in male kids (16.16%) as compared to that of female kids (13.21%). Age wise prevalence was higher in kids up to one month age (16.13%) than that of kids upto 3 months age (13.99%). No significant difference was found in prevalence among different breeds and in kids kept in farm or field conditions. The prevalence was non-significantly higher in non-diarrhoeic kids than diarrhoeic kids. Most of the infections were of one score (76.6%). Molecular characterisation by PCR-RFLP of 18S SSU rRNA gene revealed presence of Cryptosporidium parvum species in positive faecal samples.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</div>

Prevalence and molecular characterisation of Cryptosporidium spp. in goat kids&nbsp; &nbsp;

<div>Background: This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of paromomycin sulphate on serum amyloid A (SAA) and haptoglobin (Hp) in Cryptosporidiosis in goat kids.&nbsp; 
 
Methods: In the study, stool samples were taken from the kids and Cryptosporidium was detected via the rapid test kit. Then, by examining the same stool samples microscopically, we included 9 kids in the study and 50 mg/kg of paromomycin sulphate was administered to the kids in which Cryptosporidium spp. was detected for five days as a treatment. For the SAA and Hp estimation, blood samples were drawn from the kids in the pre and post treatment stages.&nbsp; 
 
Result: In the kids with Cryptosporidium, the concentrations of SAA and Hp were measured as (SAA; 17.10&plusmn;4.18 ng/mL Hp; 2.68&plusmn;1.08 &micro;g/mL) in pre-treatment and as (SAA; 9,71&plusmn;4,13 ng/mL, Hp; 1,23&plusmn;0,64 &micro;g/mL) in the post-treatment stage (p&lt;0,05). In accordance with these findings, we suggest that routine measurements of SAA and Hp concentrations of the goat kids with diarrhea due to cryptosporidiosis could be of value in follow up of treatment, determining the severity of the infection, selection of therapy and monitoring the efficacy of the preferred treatment protocol and in detection of subclinical infections.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</div>

Efficacy of Paromomycin Sulphate for the Treatment of Cryptosporidiosis in Goat Kids&nbsp;

#This study was presented as an abstract at the 8th International Congress of Thrace Scientific Research (20-21 December 2025). 
 
Background: Introducing concentrate feed during the suckling period in ruminants supports the development of the digestive system. Early initiation of concentrates supports rumen development, increases feed utilization and growth performance and allows for earlier weaning. 
 
Methods: In this study, the growth performance of hair goat kids that started consuming starter feed at two different periods in farms in Edirne within the scope of the &ldquo;Genetic Improvement Project of Hair Goat in Farmer Conditions Edirne Province&rdquo; was compared. Data from 2025 were used in this study. This study included two groups of Hair goat kids: Those introduced to starter feed at 15 days of age (G1; n=136 males and 136 females) and those introduced at 30 days of age (G2; n=96 males and 96 females). The study included single kids born to 3 year old dams and raised under grazing conditions. 
 
Result: The mean birth weight (BW) of the G1 group was 2.52 kg, whereas that of the G2 group was 2.78 kg (p&lt;0.001). At 60 days of age, the mean live weights (LW) were 13.89 kg for G1 and 14.58 kg for G2 (p&lt;0.001). By day 90, the mean LW reached 19.79 kg in G1 and 19.60 kg in G2, with no significant difference between the groups (p&gt;0.05). Kids in the G1 group exhibited higher average daily weight gain (ADG) (p&lt;0.001). In conclusion, although G1 kids had lower BW, they compensated for this difference by day 90 as a result of their higher ADG.

The Effect of Early Initiating Concentrate Feed on the Growth Performance of Hair Goat Kids

Background: The growth rate and body weight increased with increment in feed frequencies due to microbial activities enhancing nutrient absorption in the animal&rsquo;s body (<a href="#younas_2014">Yaunas et al., 2014</a>, <a href="#bawala_2009">Bawala et al., 2009</a>). The efficacy of growth by increased feeding frequency is due to a large improvement in the efficiency of food utilization. Smaller ruminants require more frequent feedings than larger ruminants because of their higher basal metabolism. 
 
Methods: The effects of concentrate feeding frequency on growth performance were assessed in a three-month trial including twenty-one female Sirohi goat kids. Three groups (T1, T2 and T3) containing concentrate were randomly assigned to feed the Sirohi goat kids once, twice, or three times a day. Throughout the ninety-day trial, uniform management techniques and feeding like green or dry fodder were kept up. Each animal was given an exact quantity of food and water each morning during the trial and the remaining feed and water were weighed the next morning. 
 
Result: Total daily feed intake was significantly (P&lt;0.01) higher in T3 (885.88&plusmn;4.06 g/d) than in T2 (775.03&plusmn;7.52 g/d) and T1 (702.54&plusmn;5.78 g/d). Average daily weight gain (ADG) was significantly (P&lt;0.01) higher in T3 (43.68&plusmn;1.8 g) than in T1 (32.30&plusmn;2.61 g) and T2 (37.73&plusmn;2.42 g). Non-significantly differing feed conversion ratio (3.06&plusmn;0.31) in T3 than in T2 (3.16&plusmn;0.29) and T1 (3.39&plusmn;0.31), indicating a positive impact of thrice-a-day concentrate feeding on feed intake and growth but not affect feed efficiency in goat kids.