Estimation of Live Weight of Kalahari Red Goat from Body Morphometric Parameters

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: A weighing scale is often used to measure the live-weight of goats. Sometimes on farms, there might not be scales to weigh goats. This study was designed to develop simple regression equation models with the use of linear body measurements to estimate live-weight of male and female Kalahari Red goats at different age groups during the rainy and dry seasons respectively. Research Method: The study involved 90 Kalahari Red goats; 45 males and 45 females, as ≤12, 13-24 m and 25-36 m with live weights of 14.35±0.47, 24.10±0.68, and 38.82±0.90kg. Linear body measurements such as brisket length, head length, and others were analyzed using a Completely Randomized Design in a 2x2x3 factorial arrangement. Findings and Values: Analysis of variance revealed that certain linear body measurements (LBMs) exhibited a significant positive correlation (p<0.05) with live weight, indicating their suitability for estimating live weight in Kalahari Red goats. However, some LBMs showed lower or negative correlations with live weight. Among the positively correlated LBMs, the highest corrected measurement was RHL, followed by HDL and BL. Conversely, DHB and RHH were negatively correlated (p>0.05). These findings showed some LBMs were reliable predictors of live weight in Kalahari Red goats. The output of this study can be used to estimate the live weight of the Kalahari Red goats from linear body measurements at any age and season with greater accuracy. Keywords: Kalahari Red goat, Live weight estimation, Linear body measurements, Seasonal variation, Pearson correlation.