Effect of Fasted Live-Weight Gain During the Cashmere Non-Growing Period on Cashmere Production Performance and Secondary Hair Follicle Activity of Cashmere Goats
November 2023
in “
Animals
”
TLDR Feeding goats more during the non-growing period increases cashmere yield and length.
The study on 50 Inner Mongolian cashmere goats found that those with a fasted live-weight gain of 5.0–10.0 kg during the non-growing period had a 17.10% increase in cashmere yield and an 8.09% increase in staple length compared to those with a gain of 0–5.0 kg. There was a strong positive correlation between weight gain and the population of active secondary hair follicles, suggesting that nutritional manipulations, such as supplementary feeding during the non-growing period, can enhance cashmere production performance. Further research is needed to determine specific nutritional strategies.