INCIDENCE OF FOETAL LOSS IN GOATS AT PANKSHIN SLAUGHTER SLAB PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Indiscriminate slaughtering of pregnant animals is a very pertinent issue that must be addressed. The study was to determine the incidence of foetal loss in goats at the Pankshin slaughter slab from November 2023 to June 2024. A total of 1882 goats were slaughtered and of the 1882, 662 (35.2%) were does and 1220 (64.8%) were bucks. In the course of the investigation, it was observed that out of the 662 (35.2%) does slaughtered, 198 (10.5%) were pregnant and 464 (24.7%) were non pregnant does. Most of the goats were slaughtered in the month of December 431(22.9%). The average monthly percentage of pregnant does slaughtered was higher in the month of January (18.7%) with overall monthly percentage of 10.5% was obtained. The foetal loss in this study area could be due to some factors like lack of awareness on the part of farmers, butchers and inconsistency in ante mortem inspection on goats before slaughter and proper management of pregnant animals in the market and slaughter slabs therefore foetal loss will be drastically reduced if there is proper enlightenment on the effects of foetal loss in livestock production in the country.