Correlation of Morphometric Traits and Body Weight in Male Etawah Crossbreed (PE) Goats at Weaning Age Muhammad Panji Sofyan (a), Veronica Margareta Ani Nurgiartiningsih (a*)
a) Faculty of Animal Science, Brawijaya University, Malang, 65145, Indonesia
Abstract
The Etawah Crossbreed (PE) goat, one of valuable genetic resources in Indonesia, is recognized for its excellent adaptability, productive performance, and economic value as a dual-purpose breed. This study aimed to determine the morphometric predictors most closely associated with body weight and to identify effective selection indicators for genetic improvement at the early growth stage. A total of 91 male PE goats were measured at pre-weaning (52-90 days) and post-weaning (100-190 days) ages. The relationship between four morphometric traits (BL, CG, CW, and CD) and body weight (BW) was evaluated in R Studio using descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression analyses. Results demonstrated strong to highly strong positive correlations between all morphometric traits and BW (r = 0.6096-0.8837 with p<0.001). The highest correlations were observed for BL and CG in the pre- and post-weaning groups (r = 0.8837 and 0.8563 with p<0.001), confirming their reliability as predictors of body weight. Regression analysis indicated that BL and CG resulted in the lowest prediction deviations (6.72% and 7.03%), demonstrating their practicality for on-farm application. These findings indicate that pre-weaning growth is primarily determined by genetic factors, whereas post-weaning growth reflects environmental and nutritional influences. Overall, body length and chest girth can serve as efficient, low-cost selection criteria for improving growth performance and breeding efficiency in PE goats, thereby supporting sustainable genetic development of local goat population in Indonesia.
