Correlation analysis in purebred and crossbred West African Dwarf goats: Growth and maturing patterns

The relationship between growth measurements and (or) maturing rates at various age intervals from birth to 150 days of age was studied in goats. Correlation coefficients between growth measurements and (or) maturing rates at the same age interval were high and positive. However, similar correlation coefficients at adjacent age intervals were negative suggesting a transient genetic association which appears only when growth intervals have a common end-point. Body weights at birth and 90 and 150 days of age were positively correlated with average growth rate (AGR), absolute maturing rate (AMR), and relative maturing rate (RMR) between birth and 90 days and birth and 150 days of age. Similar results were obtained for degrees of maturity except at birth, when the coefficients observed were phenotypically negative. Correlations between AGR, AMR, RMR, and all linear measurements studied were positive except body length at 90 days of age, indicating some degree of dependency of each measurement on AGR, AMR, and RMR. Faster growing animals tended to have larger frames.