Abstract
This study was carried out to determine coat colour distribution of West African Dwarf (WAD) goat in Abeokuta North and South Local Government Areas of Ogun State, Nigeria. Three thousand, three hundred and ten (3310) WAD goats were randomly sampled consisting of 2511 (75.86%) does and 799 (24.14%) bucks. Animals were prevalently maintained on semi-intensive management. Various coat colours identified were black with highest frequency of 941 (28.42%), brown 436 (13.17%), badgerface 346 (10.45%), grey 254 (7.67%), buckskin 222 (6.70%), lateral belly 154 (4.65%), white and black 149 (4.50%), white and brown 134 (4.05%), white and black marking 105 (3.17%), black and white marking 92 (2.78%), spotted white 88 (2.66%), spotted black 80 (2.42%), blackmash 63 (1.90%), tan 61 (1.84%), white 57 (1.72%), bezoar 49 (1.48%), spotted brown 40 (1.21%), lateral stripes 33 (1.00%), with swiss marking having the lowest frequency of 6 (0.18%). The gene frequency was estimated using Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium equation which resulted as 0.70 and 0.30 for eumelanin and Phaeomelanin respectively. Chi-square (χ2) analysis was further carried out, which revealed that the difference between observed frequency and expected frequency was significant (P < 0.05) implying that the segregation in the area of study was not supported by Mendelian ratio of 3:1. High level of variation was observed in coat colour among goats in the areas studied with black coat colour being the predominant. Hence, conscious selection could be embarked upon to investigate the influence of coat colour on adaptation, thermoregulation, growth and productivity.
Highlights
Goat has proved useful to man throughout the ages, largely because of their adaptability to the varying environment condition and the different nutritional regimes under which the respective breed and types have been subsequently maintained (Mannetje, 2003)
The three main breed of goat recognized in Nigeria include: The West African Dwarf Goat (WAD) Sokoto Red and West African long legged goat or the Sahel
The West African Dwarf (WAD) goat is widely distributed across the rain forest belt of Southern Nigeria
Summary
Goat has proved useful to man throughout the ages, largely because of their adaptability to the varying environment condition and the different nutritional regimes under which the respective breed and types have been subsequently maintained (Mannetje, 2003). The West African Dwarf (WAD) goat is widely distributed across the rain forest belt of Southern Nigeria. They are short legged and small bodied animals (Mourad et al, 2000), and most especially found in rural areas (Oni, 2002). They are hardy, early maturing, prolific and non seasonal breeder (Osuagwuh et al, 1981). They are well adapted and able to withstand the prevalent trypanosome attack in this zone (Rege et al, 1994). The abundance of WAD goats in the tropical humid areas of the
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