2025/11/12 by Ayela Abera, Ayantu Mekonnen, Diriba Diba +1
#Linear body measurements #morphological characteristics #population #qualitative
paper · doi:10.20372/star.v14.i1.06
A morphological characterization study was conducted on native goat types in the Anfillo and Sibu Sire districts. Data were collected from a total of 450 goats of both sexes and analyzed using appropriate software. The most frequently observed coat color patterns were plain (59.1%), patchy (40%), and spotted (0.9%). The dominant coat color types were white (28%), followed by white-dominated black (26.9%) and brown (10.4%). The majority (72%) of the goat population had short and smooth-coated hair. The goat head profiles in the Anfillo and Sibu sire districts were concave (63.1%) and straight (82.1%), respectively. Goats were horned, with straight (71.8%), backward (50%), and lateral (38.2%) horn orientations. About 72.9% and 62.9% of the goats had straight backs and sloppy rump profiles, respectively. The overall body weight, body length, and heart girth were 25.7±3.02 kg, 59.6±3.5 cm, and 67.08±3.2 cm, respectively. Heart girth had significant (p<0.001) positive correlations with body weight. The correlations between heart girth and body weight were 0.91 and 0.84 for males and 0.88 and 0.87 for female goats in the Anfillo and Sibu Sire districts, respectively. Based on the body index (BI) value (>3.15), the goat populations of the study areas are classified as meat types.