Author(s): S Durga and D Ilaya Bharathi

Abstract: The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the fitness of Schaffer’s formula for weight estimation in Salem black goats and determination of the best fitted regression equation. Data on body weight and body measurements were collected from Livestock Farm Complex (LFC) Veterinary College and Research Institute, Salem (35 numbers). Simple and multiple regression models were fitted with body weight as dependant variable and height at withers, chest girth and body length as independent variables. The coefficient of determination in case of simple linear regression was lowest using height at withers (0.0023) followed by chest girth (0.019) and then body length (0.0705). Inclusion of chest girth produced higher R2 (0.7839) with significant correlation when combined with body length and height at withers. This suggests that the estimation of body weight with chest girth alone or in combination with other linear body measurements provides a better fit in Salem black goats.

DOI: 10.33545/26174693.2024.v8.i6Sc.1281