Authors : Grum Gebreyesus, Aynalem Haile and Tadelle Dessie
Abstract: This study was conducted on randomly selected whole-flocks of the short-eared Somali goat kept under extensive pastoral production systems around Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia to obtain some prediction equation between live weight and various linear body measurements. Both male and female goats with five different dentition groups were included in this study. Live weight was regressed on the body measurements separately for males and females for each dentition class and for the pooled data by sex categories. All the parameters contributed significantly (p<0.05) to the model for the pooled data of female age groups depicting an R2-value of 85%. In the males using the pooled data for all dentition groups (0-4PPI), four parameters (chest girth, body length, body condition and pelvic width) contributed significantly (p<0.05) to the model giving an R2-value of 91%. However, chest girth was the only regressor that consistently significantly (p<0.01) contributed to the regression models across all age and sex groups.
Grum Gebreyesus, Aynalem Haile and Tadelle Dessie, 2012. Body Weight Prediction Equations from Different Linear Measurements in the Short-Eared Somali Goat Populationof Eastern Ethiopia. Research Journal of Animal Sciences, 6: 90-93.