Abstract
Yankasa sheep play a vital role in food security and the livelihood of smallholder farmers. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship amongst body measurements. A total of 126 extensively reared Yankasa rams, between 15.5 – 28.3 months of age, were randomly selected for the study. Data on body measurements were collected and subjected to correlation, principal component (PC), and step-wise multiple regression analyses. We found that mean body measures ranged from 11.2cm for scrotal circumference (SC) to 71.9cm for chest girth (CG), and the coefficient of variation ranged from 10.7%for height at withers (HW) to 30.3%forBW. All body measures, except ear length, were significantly (P<0.01) associated with BW. All body measures, except ear length, were significantly (P<0.01) associated with BW. Of all body measures, CG, rump width (RW), and neck circumference (NC) were the most associated with BW, with correlation coefficients of 0.83, 0.8, and 0.79, respectively, while neck length, ear width, and tail length were the least associated with correlation coefficients of 0.21, 0.33, and 0.46. Three principal components from the factor analysis of body measurements explained about 64% of the total variance. Regression models using original morphometric traits as predictors explained up to 80% of the variation in body weight, while PC explained up to 75%. This study shows that body measurements, such as CG, RW, and NC, could serve as markers for BW in Yankasa sheep.
Highlights
Yankasa sheep are the most numerous and most widely distributed throughout the various ecological zones, Guinea and Sudan Savanna vegetation belt of Nigeria, and constituted 60% of the total national flock [1]
The mean body measures ranged from 11.2 cm for scrotal circumference (SC) to 71.9 cm for chest girth (CG), and the coefficient of variation ranged from 10.7% for height at withers (HW) to 30.3% for body weight (BW)
The observed mean Body length (BL) of 52.7cm was higher than the value of 37.5cm reported for the animals of the same age [11], but lower than the value of 59.4cm reported for 0-14 month Uda sheep and 70.9cm for Yankasa sheep [8]
Summary
Yankasa sheep are the most numerous and most widely distributed throughout the various ecological zones, Guinea and Sudan Savanna vegetation belt of Nigeria, and constituted 60% of the total national flock [1]. Sheep are multifunctional animals that play a significant role in the economy and nutrition of landless, small and marginal poor farmers in most developing countries [2]. Sheep are sources of animal protein, and their production is almost entirely extensive with low input. The main purpose of animal breeding practices is to improve the traits of economic value [3]. These traits have a close association with explanatory variables such as age, breed, and morphological characters. Genetic improvement of live weight is needed to increase meat yield from animals. Bodyweight is an important economic trait in the selection of animals for meat yield, and body measurements have been used in animals to estimate body weight [4, 5]
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