Energy supplements for finishing goats on native savannah or cultivated warm-season pastur

Boer x Spanish wethers averaging 25.5 kg (age class 1) and 17.5 kg (age class 2) were evaluated to determine ADG and carcass characteristics on 3 production systems: Improved pasture (IP), native pasture (NP), and in a traditional feedlot (FL). The IP consisted of two legumes, four non-leguminous forbs, and annual grass. The NP consisted of typical north-central Texas rangeland with a mix of native grass and forbs. Goats on IP and NP received 3 levels of rolled corn as energy supplementation at 0, 0.5, and 1.0% BW daily. Goats on the IP receiving 1.0% BW supplement had higher (P < 0.01) ADG than goats on IP receiving 0 and 0.5% BW supplement, but had similar (P > 0.05) ADG as the FL goats. Feedlot goats exhibited higher (P < 0.01) ADG than goats on NP fed all 3 levels of supplement. Age class 1 goats had higher (P < 0.01) ADG than did age class 2 goats. Feedlot goats had higher (P < 0.01) dressing %, leg circumference, and carcass conformation than all 3 levels of IP supplemented goats, but showed no difference in (P > 0.05) adjusted carcass length, fat thickness, or % shrink over the other IP goats. Feedlot goats showed higher dressing percent, leg circumference, and carcass conformation at the P < 0.01 level and higher adjusted fat thickness at the P < 0.07 level, when compared to NP goats. Age class 1 goats had (P < 0.05) higher dressing % and ( P < 0.01) higher carcass characteristics for all measurements, except % shrink, than did age class 2 wethers.