Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the relationship between body weight and body measurements and to predict live body weight from body measurement in indigenous goat in Meanit Goldiya and Guraferda districts. For this purpose, data on body weight and body measurements such as body length, chest girth, head length, head width, rump width, rump length, pelvic width, horn length, ear length and scrotum circumference were collected from 660(600 female and 60 male) indigenous goats in the study areas. A correlation and regression analysis between body weight as a response variable and body measurement as predictor was conducted. The highest and significant (p<0.01) correlation was recorded between body weight and chest girth (0.94) for male and (0.93) for female goats in Guraferda and 0.92 for male and 0.91 for female goats in Meanit Goldiya district. Chest girth alone has explained the variation in body weight with coefficient determination of 0.94 and 0.94 for male and females in Meanit Goldiya, respectively. Whereas the coefficient determination of Guraferda goats is 0.88 and 0.87 for males and females, respectively. Therefore, chest girth is used to predict live body weight with regression equations of male and female indigenous goat in Meanit Goldiya district is y = -42.47+0.97chest girth and -40.23+0.94chest girth, respectively. Whereas in Guraferda district y=-70.56+1.39 chest girth and -55.19+1.18chest girth for male and female, respectively. Thus, chest girth could be laid high realistic to estimate live body weight of goat to assist marketing, genetic improvement, feeding and other routine husbandry practices in the farm conditions.

Keywords: Live body weight; Body measurement; Chest Girth; Body weight prediction