Dublin Core
Title
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BODY WEIGHT AND LINEAR BODY MEASUREMENTS AT
VARIOUS STAGES OF PERMANENT TOOTH ERUPTION IN INDIGENOUS¬MATEBELE FEMALE GOATS OF Z IMBABWE
VARIOUS STAGES OF PERMANENT TOOTH ERUPTION IN INDIGENOUS¬MATEBELE FEMALE GOATS OF Z IMBABWE
Creator
NEVER ASSAN
MICHAEL MUSASIRA
MAPHIOS MPOFU
NICHOLAS M WAYERA4
KWENA MOKOENA5
THOBELA LOUIS TYASI
Description
his study aimed to evaluate the influence of dental age on predicting body weight (BWT) using Linear
body measurements (LBM) in 168 indigenous Matebele goat females of Zimbabwe. LBM and BWT were recorded at
various stages of permanent incisor eruption (PE): second pair (I2), third pair (I3), fourth pair (I4), full mouth (FM),
and broken mouth (BM). The LBMs were measured using a ruler and centimeter-calibrated tailor’s tape, while BWT
was measured using an electronic weighing scale in kilograms. The correlation between BWT and LMBs was assessed
using Pearson’s correlation and regression were used for data analysis. The highest correlation was observed between
body length (BL) and rump height (RH) (r = 0.70), while BWT and heart girth (HG) showed a significant correlation
(r = 0.68) (p<0.05) at I2 stage. Simple regression models demonstrated good predictive power on BWT at the FM
stage for HG (R2 = 74%), BL (R2 = 65%), and WT (R2 = 53%) (p<0.05). The predictive power of multiple regression
models for I3 was slightly reduced when non-significant components were removed. The findings suggest that HG is
the best predictor of BWT during the I3 to FM tooth eruption phases, supporting genetic improvement and selection
of replacement females based on LBM. The study concludes that dentition-based age determination influences the cor-
relation between BWT and LBMs in female indigenous goats, with the strongest correlation observed between I2 and
I4 eruption periods. Combining HG and RH can optimize body weight prediction for I3 females by reducing variables
in the model. The results highlight the importance of dentition-based age estimation and morphometric feature-based
body weight prediction in small ruminants, particularly in small-scale animal agriculture where scales and record-keep-
ing are often lacking
body measurements (LBM) in 168 indigenous Matebele goat females of Zimbabwe. LBM and BWT were recorded at
various stages of permanent incisor eruption (PE): second pair (I2), third pair (I3), fourth pair (I4), full mouth (FM),
and broken mouth (BM). The LBMs were measured using a ruler and centimeter-calibrated tailor’s tape, while BWT
was measured using an electronic weighing scale in kilograms. The correlation between BWT and LMBs was assessed
using Pearson’s correlation and regression were used for data analysis. The highest correlation was observed between
body length (BL) and rump height (RH) (r = 0.70), while BWT and heart girth (HG) showed a significant correlation
(r = 0.68) (p<0.05) at I2 stage. Simple regression models demonstrated good predictive power on BWT at the FM
stage for HG (R2 = 74%), BL (R2 = 65%), and WT (R2 = 53%) (p<0.05). The predictive power of multiple regression
models for I3 was slightly reduced when non-significant components were removed. The findings suggest that HG is
the best predictor of BWT during the I3 to FM tooth eruption phases, supporting genetic improvement and selection
of replacement females based on LBM. The study concludes that dentition-based age determination influences the cor-
relation between BWT and LBMs in female indigenous goats, with the strongest correlation observed between I2 and
I4 eruption periods. Combining HG and RH can optimize body weight prediction for I3 females by reducing variables
in the model. The results highlight the importance of dentition-based age estimation and morphometric feature-based
body weight prediction in small ruminants, particularly in small-scale animal agriculture where scales and record-keep-
ing are often lacking
Publisher
Advances in Animal and Veterinary Sciences
Date
2024
Position: 19 (70 views)