International Journal of
Livestock Production

  • Abbreviation: Int. J. Livest. Prod.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-2448
  • DOI: 10.5897/IJLP
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 287

Full Length Research Paper

Non-linear growth models for Beetal goats

Shakeel Nouman1* and Yasir Abrar2
  1Livestock Production Research Institute Bahadurnagar (Okara), Pakistan. 2Livestock Experimental Station, Bahadurnagar (Okara), Pakistan.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 26 March 2013
  •  Published: 30 June 2013

Abstract

 

The data were taken from the “Enhancing of Mutton Production through goat breeding” a Project run at Livestock Production Research Institute Bahadurnagar (Okara); the growth performance of Beetal goats were compared by statistical non-linear models, like Exponential, Gompertz and Logistic models. These models were based to obtain the best fitted model by following the criteria of mean absolute error (MAE), root mean squared error (RMSE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). Run test were used to check the independence and normality of the models and residuals were checked by Shapiro - Wilk test. Errors were found to be normal and independently distributed. Body weights of Beetal goats and Bucks were examined by shape of the curves and it revealed that the values of α, β and γ of Gompertz model were higher than that of exponential and logistics in both the district of Okara and Sahiwal. Also, values of MAE, RMSE and MAPE of Gompertz model were lower than the logistic and exponential.

 

Key words: Bodyweight of Beetal, Gompertz, least value.