Predicting Goat Body Weight Using Morphometric Measurements: A Regression Approach

Abstract

The study was conducted on several local small farms in Pabna city, Bangladesh. This study used a variety of linear body measures from different types of breeds of goats to develop methods of linear regression for estimation body weight. Body weight was the dependent variable, while Forehead Diameter (FD), Muzzle Length (ML), Neck Length (NL), Neck Diameter (ND), Heart Girth Diameter (HGD), Point of Shoulder to knee (PS-K) length, knee to metacarpal (K-MC) length, Hip Bone to Hock Joint (HB-HJ) length, hock joint to metatarsal (HJ-MT) length, Wither Height (WH), Rump Height (RH), Hook to Hook (HO-HO) length, Pin to pin (PI-PI) length were the independent variables. Using “a” as the regression constant and “b” as the regression coefficient for the various body size parameters employed in the equation, the coefficient of determination (R2), and the level of significance, the best-generated regression prediction equation for body weight estimate was determined. For estimating body weight in several breeds of 49 castrated male goats in this study, the best-fitted model (R2=0.97, 0.97, 0.94 respectively) included the most suitable measurements, such as wither height rump height, and the length from the point of shoulder to the knee joint.