Morphometrics measurement, physiology traits and parasites infestation of dairy goats farms in North Sumatra, Indonesia: Challenges for the environmental sustainability of milk production

Abstract The study aims to investigate factors that influence the sustainability of dairy goats in the Deli Serdang, Indonesia. A total of 172 head of dairy goats from different breeds at 9 subdistricts were used in this study. The parameters observed were the type of feeds given to the animals, the morphometric measurements, the physiological traits of the animals, gastrointestinal infestation, and milk production. The result showed that the majority of feeds given to the goats were cut and carry green fodder (95.83%), tofu by-products (58.33%), and concentrate (25%), respectively. The dairy goats in this study were categorized as short with an average body index of 0.91. There was a significant influence (p < 0.05) of age on rectal temperature (RT) and heat tolerant coefficient (HTC); however, not for heart rate (HR), respiration rate (RR), and adaptation coefficient (AC), respectively. The most abundant gastrointestinal parasite was coccidia, with the lowest (57%) and highest (100%) prevalence occurring in 4-year-old and 3-year-old goats, respectively. The highest milk production was found in 3-year-old goats (931.1 ml), whereas does with body condition score (BCS) = 3.5 have persistently higher milk production. By using modelling, the most likely scenario to improve dairy goats' sustainability was scenario 5 (increase dairy goat population of 2,266 heads, milk yield increase to 703.10 tons per year, and the highest growth rate of 9.65%). In this study, dairy goat farmers sustain their milk production by utilizing local feed resources, demonstrating good adaptation to internal parasites, and adjusting to the local environment.