ABSTRACT

 This study involved estimation of body weight of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats from linear body measurements. A total of seventy (70) WAD goats consisting of 40 males and 30 females were used for this study.- Four different age groups were evaluated viz: 04-12 month. 13-18 month, 19-24 month and 25-29 month age groups. Data were collected for parameters including body weight (BW). Height at withers (HW) and Heart Girth (HG). Measurements were taken from the goats which were either managed intensively, extensively or semi-intensively at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Livestock Farm and from Umudike environs. Data collected were subjected lo student t-test statistic analysis using SPSS. Result showed that the female W AO goats were superior to the male WAD goats in BW. H W and HG at the 13-18 month and 19-24 month age groups. This revealed the existence of sexual dimorphism in the WAD goats. Significant positive correlations were observed between body weight and linear body measurements in the mule and female WAD goats al certain ages. The strongest positive correlations. r 0.989 and r=0.939 between B W vs. HG in female WAD goats at the 04-12 and 13-19 month age groups and between BW vs. HW r 0.914 in male WAD goats at the 04-12 month. were observed at the early age than at the advanced age group. The male WAD goats portrayed non significant correlations between body weight and heart girth at the 13-18 month anti between body weight and the two linear traits al the 19-24 months age group. The female WAD goals on the other hand portrayed non significant correlations between body weight and height al withers at the 19-24 months and between body weight and the two linear traits at the 25-29 month age group. The correlation between BW and the two linear traits decreased significantly as age advanced in the female WAD goats. The result of the regression equation showed that height at withers and heart girth can reliably predict body weight in the male and female WAD goats at the ages evaluated except at the 13-18 month and 19-24 month age groups in the male WAD goats and at the 25-29 month age group in the female W AO goats