Body Weight and Scrotal-Testicular Biometry in Three Indigenous Breeds of Bucks in Arid and Semiarid Agroecologies, Ethiopia.

Amare Eshetu Gemeda,Kefelegn Workalemahu

doi:10.1155/2017/5276106

Abstract

The body weight and testicular and epididymal parameters of Afar, Long-eared Somali (LES), and Woyto-Guji (WG) breeds of goat were investigated. A total of 405 randomly selected bucks of Afar (n = 135), Long-eared Somali (n = 135), and Woyto-Guji (n = 135) were included in this study. The overall mean scrotal circumference (SC), testicular volume (TV), testicular length (TL), testicular weight (TW), body weight (BW), epididymal weight (EW), body condition score, and testicular diameter (TD) measurements in all bucks were 20.8 ± 1.94 cm, 68.1 ± 6.18, 4.96 ± 0.79 cm, 70.0 ± 5.66 g, 22.1 ± 2.98 Kg, 9.09 ± 1.88 g, 2.55 ± 0.68, and 4.28 ± 0.45 cm, respectively. Significant (p < 0.05) breed differences in SC, TD, TL, TW, BW, EW, and TV were recorded. Long-eared Somali (LES) breed was heaviest and Afar breed was the lightest and Woyto-Guji (WG) had the average BW. In all breeds, the parameters were positively correlated. In Afar breed, the TW had a significant correlation with BW (r = 0.90) and SC (r = 0.65). In LES BW was highly correlated with TD (r = 0.96) and TL (r = 0.96). In WG, TW was significantly correlated with TD (r = 0.94), EW (r = 0.90), TL (r = 0.89), and BW (r = 0.82). In multiple regression analysis the linear combinations of BCS, SC, and BW significantly predicted TW, TL, TV, TD, and EW in all breeds. In conclusion, Long-eared Somali breed displayed greater BW and scrotal and testicular traits.

Highlights

In Ethiopia nearly 22.78 million goats are reared in mixed, pastoral, and agropastoral production systems in extensive farming for different purposes such as sociocultural reasons, milk, meat production, and cash generation [1, 2]
Analysis and comparison of measurements in the three indigenous breeds show that Afar, Long-eared Somali (LES), and Woyto-Guji (WG) breeds display significant differences (p < 0.05) in scrotal circumference (SC), testicular volume (TV), testicular length (TL), testicular weight (TW), body weight (BW), epididymal weight (EW), and testicular diameter (TD)
The values of the testicular traits obtained in this study are higher than 17.15 ± 1.14 cm, 52.16 ± 10.29 g, and 4.71 ± 0.52 cm reported for scrotal circumference, testicular weight (g), and testicular length, respectively, in Shale bucks in humid zone of Nigeria [29]

Summary

Introduction

In Ethiopia nearly 22.78 million goats are reared in mixed, pastoral, and agropastoral production systems in extensive farming for different purposes such as sociocultural reasons, milk, meat production, and cash generation [1, 2]. These goats due to their small body size, short reproductive cycle, broad feeding habits, and adaptation strategy to unfavorable environmental conditions such as scarce feed resources are preferred by framers [3,4,5,6]. To improve goat production in the tropics, the reproductive efficiency and fertility of the bucks require attention [11]. Fertility studies in livestock have generally tended to focus on the female side with less emphasis on the male [11]

Methods

Results

Conclusion