PREDICTING LIVE WEIGHT FROM BODY MEASUREMENTS USING REGRESSION MODELS IN ADULT FEMALE ARBIA GOATS OF ALGERIA - Djouza Loubna; Yilmaz Onur; Chehma Abdelmadjid; Djouza Narimene (Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences, 2026)
The aim of the present study was to determine the current variation in live weight and body measurements in the main indigenous population Arbia goats reared in two different locations (Batna and Biskra) in the eastern and South-eastern regions of Algeria and to investigate the predictability of live weight from body measurements using the stepwise regression model. The animal material studied consisted of 239 Arbia breed goats from Batna (n=93) and Biskra (n=146). The least squares mean obtained for chest circumference, abdominal circumference, body length, height at withers, back height, chest depth, neck circumference and live weight were 79.44 cm, 90.45 cm, 66.45 cm, 70.11 cm, 72.02 cm, 35.66 cm, 31.96 cm and 37.17 kg, respectively. Among the regression models developed for the breeding locations, the highest coefficient of determination was obtained from the regression model incorporating chest depth, abdominal circumference, head length-1, head width, chest circumference, forearm circumference, neck circumference and ear width in the Batna location. The results showed that live weights can be estimated with high coefficients of determination using regression models constructed from body measurements specific to the breeding sites.
Keywords: journal article; Algerian goat population; body weight; estimation; stepwise regression