Exploring Morphological Variations in Eşme and Pırlak Sheep Raised in Breeder’s Conditions

Year 2024, Volume: 65 Issue: 1, 9 - 19, 08.07.2024

Orhan Karaca Nezih Ata Kemal Canaz İbrahim Cemal Onur Yılmaz

https://doi.org/10.29185/hayuretim.1467955

Abstract

Objective: The study was conducted to identify body measurements that can serve as selection criteria in breeding programs for Eşme and Pırlak sheep breeds. Additionally, the study aimed to investigate the phenotypic correlation between live weight and body measurements. Material and Methods: The animal materials of both breeds were obtained from farms that are considered multiplier flocks in the breeding programs. The animal material used in this study consists of a total of 612 sheep, including 311 Eşme sheep from three breeders and 301 Pırlak sheep from three breeders, sourced from six farms in Uşak province. In the study, data were collected on various physical characteristics of the animals during the mating period, including their head size (such as forehead width, head length, and ear length), body size (such as chest width, rump height, withers height, back height, chest depth, chest girth, and body length), and weight at the time of measurement.
Results: The findings revealed that systematic environmental factors, such as breed, farm, gender, and age classes, have a statistically significant effect on the live weight and body measurements. On the other hand, positive correlation coefficients were obtained for live weight and body measurements.
Conclusion: The findings revealed that utilizing body measurements, particularly chest girth, as selection criteria in breeding programs aimed at improving growth characteristics can have a positive impact on the live weights of animals. The observation that the Eşme breed exhibited higher values than the Prılak breed in terms of live weight and certain body measurements suggests that this breed holds significant potential for meat production in the region.

Keywords

Body dimension, live weight, western Anatolia, farmers

Ethical Statement

There is no need to obtain permission from the ethics committee for this study

Supporting Institution

This study was produced from the project numbered ZRF-14027, supported by Aydın Adnan Menderes University BAP commission

Project Number

ADU-BAP ZRF-14027

Thanks

We would like to express our gratitude to the Adnan Menderes University Scientific Research Projects Commission (Project Number: ZRF-14027), as well as to the General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies for providing us with the necessary animal materials. We would also like to extend our appreciation to the breeders who participated in the "Eşme Sheep Breeding" and "Pırlak Sheep Breeding" projects.

Yetiştirici Koşullarında Yetiştirilen Eşme ve Pırlak Koyun Irklarının Morfolojik Özelliklerinin Araştırılması

Abstract

Amaç: Çalışma, Eşme ve Pırlak koyun ırkları için saha ıslah çalışmalarında seleksiyon kriteri olarak kullanılabilecek vücut ölçülerinin belirlenmesi amacıyla yürütülmüştür. Ayrıca, çalışmada canlı ağırlık ve vücut ölçüleri arasındaki fenotipik korelasyonun araştırılması amaçlanmıştır.
Materyal ve Metot: Her iki ırka ait deneme materyali hayvanlar yürütülen ıslah programlarında ara elit olarak yer alan işletmelerde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu çalışmada kullanılan hayvan materyali, Uşak ilindeki altı çiftlikten üç yetiştiriciye ait 311 Eşme koyunu ve üç yetiştiriciye ait 301 Pırlak koyunu olmak üzere toplam 612 koyundan oluşmaktadır. Çalışmada, çiftleşme döneminde hayvanların baş ölçüleri (alın genişliği, baş uzunluğu ve kulak uzunluğu gibi), vücut ölçüleri (göğüs genişliği, sağrı yüksekliği, cidago yüksekliği, sırt yüksekliği, göğüs derinliği, göğüs çevresi ve vücut uzunluğu gibi) ve ölçüm anındaki ağırlıkları dahil olmak üzere çeşitli fiziksel özellikleri hakkında veriler toplanmıştır.
Bulgular: Elde edilen bulgular, ırk, işletme, cinsiyet ve yaş sınıfları gibi sistematik çevresel faktörlerinin üzerinde durulan canlı ağırlık ve vücut ölçüleri üzerine istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir etkisi olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Öte yandan, canlı ağırlık ve vücut ölçümleri için pozitif korelasyon katsayıları elde edilmiştir.
Sonuç: Bu bulgular, gelişme özelliklerini hedef alan ıslah programlarında seçim kriteri olarak vücut ölçülerinin, özellikle göğüs çevresinin kullanılmasının, hayvanların canlı ağırlıklarını olumlu yönde etkileyebileceğini ortaya koymuştur. Eşme ırkının canlı ağırlık ve bazı vücut ölçüleri bakımından Prılak ırkından daha yüksek değerler sergilemesi, bu ırkın bölgede et üretimi için önemli bir potansiyele sahip olduğunu göstermektedir.

Keywords

Vücut ölçüleri, canlı ağırlık, Batı Anadolu, yetiştirici

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma için etik kuruldan izin alınmasına gerek yoktur

Supporting Institution

Bu çalışma Aydın Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi BAP komisyonu tarafından desteklenen ZRF-14027 numaralı projeden üretilmiştir.

Project Number

ADU-BAP ZRF-14027

Thanks

Adnan Menderes Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri Komisyonu'na (Proje Numarası: ZRF-14027) ve bize gerekli hayvan materyallerini sağlayan Tarımsal Araştırmalar ve Politikalar Genel Müdürlüğü'ne şükranlarımızı sunarız. Ayrıca "Eşme Koyunu Islahı" ve "Pırlak Koyunu Islahı" projelerine katılan yetiştiricilere de teşekkürlerimizi sunarız.

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