Characterisation of Zulu (Nguni) sheep using linear body measurements and some environmental factors affecting these measurements
نویسندگان
چکیده
Data on linear body measurements (LBM) of ca. 100 Zulu sheep raised under extensive management systems at four sites in northern KwaZulu-Natal were collected over a period of 2.5 years (October 2000 to May 2003). Data were used to quantify the live weight (LW), heart girth (HG), wither height (WH) and scrotum circumference (SC) of sheep in different age groups as well as the effects of some environmental factors on their LBM. Teeth numbers were used to estimate the age of sheep. The variation in LBM was influenced significantly by the location where an animal was raised and by its age. Mature rams that have three and four pairs of incisors had LWs of 37 and 38 kg, HG of 79 and 80 cm and WH of 65 and 64 cm, respectively. Mature ewes had LWs of 30 and 32 kg, HG of 76 cm and WH of 62 and 61 cm. Differences of 15 kg, 18 kg and 22 kg in LW among sheep with full sets of milk teeth and 28 kg, 35 kg and 40 kg among mature sheep were found between populations. The SC increased with age in mature rams (three and four pairs of incisors) and was 27 cm as compared to 18 cm for younger rams. Ear size ranged from ear buds to large ears of 9 14 cm. However, type of ear-length was found not to have any particular influence on the variation in LBM of Zulu sheep. It was concluded that an investigation of genetic variation between the populations would be necessary to develop effective conservation and utilization programmes and strategies for the breed. _______________________________________________________________________________________
منابع مشابه
A study on body weight and measurements of some fat-tailed iranian sheep breeds I. some sources of variation affecting body weight and measurements of karakul, mehraban, naeini,ghezel and bakhtiari ewes
متن کامل
Application of Body Measurements of Blackhead Somali Sheep as Parameters for Estimation of Live Weight
Sheep and goat have a great role in the economy of the pastoral communities which have inhabited in the lowland parts Ethiopia. The study was conducted in Borana low land southern Ethiopia to predict the body weight of blackhead Somali (BHS) sheep using linear body measurements under farm condition. A total of 478 heads (301 female and 177 males) were measured for linear body measurements and b...
متن کاملThe Estimation of Body Weight from Body Measurements in Kilakarsal Sheep of Tamil Nadu, India
Data on body weight and body measurements (body length, height at withers, chest girth and paunch girth) of adult Kilakarsal sheep have been collected from 124 adult animals managed at the farmers filed in Tirunelveli districts of Tami Nadu, India to estimate the body weight from body measurements. The data were subjected to standard statistical analysis using SPSS software and linear regressio...
متن کاملInbreeding and Its Effects on Body Weight,Kleiber Ratio, Body Measurements, Greasy Fleece Weight and Reproductive Traits of Makooei Sheep Breed
A pedigree file consisting of 5860 individuals, 167 sires and 1582 dams collected at Makooei sheep breeding station (MSBS) during a period of 24 years (1990 to 2013) was used to calculate the inbreeding coefficients to reveal any probable effects of inbreeding (F) on the studied traits. The studied traits were classified to the five main groups including body weight, Kleiber ratio, body measure...
متن کاملMultivariate Characterisation of Oulmes-Zaer and Tidili Cattle Using the Morphological Traits
Fourteen different morphological traits in 169 and 131 cattle of Oulmes-Zaer and Tidili, respectively were recorded and analyzed using a multivariate approach. The characters measured included heart girth, wither height, rump height, rump length, rump width, chest depth, body length, neck length, cannon circumference, ear length, ear width, head length, horn length and tail length. Breed signif...
متن کامل