Use of Body Linear Measurements to Estimate Live Weight of Crossbred Dairy Cattle in Smallholder Farms in Kenya

Title
Use of Body Linear Measurements to Estimate Live Weight of Crossbred Dairy Cattle in Smallholder Farms in Kenya
Publication Date
2014
Author(s)
Lukuyu, Margaret
Gibson, John
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0371-2401
Email: jgibson5@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:jgibson5
Savage, Darryl
Duncan, A J
Mujibi, F D N
Okeyo, A M
Type of document
Conference Publication
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Australian Society of Animal Production (ASAP)
Place of publication
Roseworthy, Australia
UNE publication id
une:16259
Abstract
Animal weight is an important tool in livestock research and management. The most direct method of measuring liveweight (LW) is using a calibrated electronic or mechanical scale. However such equipment is usually costly and not readily available to poor rural livestock keepers. Farmers and livestock traders have been found to underestimate or overestimate the weights of the cattle by an average of 46 and 25% respectively of their true L W (Machila et al 2008). Linear body measurements, in particular heart girth are useful predictors of liveweight in livestock. However, the predictive ability of models developed from these measurements is influenced by body condition, age, breed and sex (Lesosky et al 2012; Ozkaya and Bozkurt 2009). The present study tested the accuracy of linear body measurements for predicting L W of crossbred dairy cattle of different genotypes in smallholder farms in Kenya and developed predictive equations appropriate to this context.
Link
Citation
Animal Production in Australia - Proceedings of the 30th Biennial Conference, p. 184-184
Start page
184
End page
184

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