LINEAR BODY MEASUREMENTS AS PREDICTORS OF LIVE WEIGHT OF THE LARGE WHITE PIG IN NORTHERN GHANA

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the correlation between live weight and three linear body measurements: heart girth (HTG), body length (BDL) and pin bone to pin bone (PB-PB) of 105 (30 — 240+ days old) Large White pigs (L WP) and to develop a regression equation for body weight based on these measurements. This is to facilitate easy determination of the live weight of pigs by measuring specified sections of its body with a tape measure. The correlation coefficient of the various variables for pigs up to 90 days old showed no significant difference (P>0.05). For age ranges 121 to 240 days and above, correlation was high and significant (P<0.05). The high significance of correlation from age 121 to 240 days and above showed that linear body measurements had high relationship between one another and with weight. The correlation of HTG with BWT was 0.954, BDL with BWT was 0.952 and PB-PB with BWT was 0.891. From the regression analysis, when all the variables were fitted in a model, only BDL, HTG and Age range were found to be significant (P<0.05). The final equation for live weight was BWT (kg) = - 3.95 + 4.8 x 104[(HTG)2x BDLJ + 3.98 (Age range) with a coefficient of determination of R2= 93.5% and adjusted R2= 93.3% which were reasonably high. Thus, given the age of the pig, HTG and BDL, the BWT can be predicted using this model to near 94% surety.