Morphometric Characterization and Principal Component Analysis of Different Goats Breeds

Goats play a very vital role in the livestock industry and are the only livestock not forbidden by any religion. Morphometric characterization is very important for the improvement of goat breeds and the proper classification of these animals. A linear measurement was carried out on sixty goats consisting of 20 each Red Sokoto (RS), West African Long logged (WLL), and West African Dwarf WAD) goat. Parameters measures were Withers height (WH), Rump height (RH), Body length (BL), Sternum height (SH), Body depth (BD), Bicostal diameter (BC), Ear length (EL), Rump width (RW), Head width (HW), Rump length (RL), Head length (HL) Heart girth (HG), Cannon bone Circumference (CB), Muzzle diameter (MD). The data collected was subjected to statistical analysis using R. version 4.0.2. It was observed that WH, RH, BL, SH, BD, BC, EL, RW, HW, RL, HL, HG, CB, and MD, exhibit variations across different age groups. For example, WH increases from 36.89 cm (at 1.00 years) to 63.98 cm (at 4.00 years), indicating a growth in wither height as goats increase in age. A significant difference (p<0.05) in the morphometric parameters across different age groups was observed. The lowest mean weight (11.50±1.1) was recorded in WAD while the highest (24.40±1.24) was recorded in WLL). These variations in weight were significant (p<0.05) across the breeds. Principal Component Analysis shows that four components contributed to 74% of the variation in the goat. The estimation classified the goats as heavy meat type while the Dactyl thorax index classified the WAD and RS as brevigline and the WLL as medigline. This study therefore contributes to a better understanding of goat morphology which has practical implications for livestock breeding and management programs. Informed decisions can also be made about breeding strategies, selecting animals specifically, and improving the overall goat population using the information provided in this study.