Influence of Phenotypic Body Measurements on Reproductive Efficiency of Indigenous Barbary Ewes in the Al-Sekt Region, Libya

Abstract

This study was conducted in Misurata city, Al-Sikt area included a sample of (6 twin-birthed and 10 single-birthed females). The weights of these females varied, ranging from 40 to 64.5 kg, While the ages of these females ranged between 3 to 6 years. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of apparent anthropometric parameters such as weight, body length, body height, chest circumference, abdominal circumference, abdominal height, and wither circumference on the reproductive performance of the well-known local Barbary females. The results showed that the averages of these parameters were (50 ± 1.8 kg, 73.5 ± 1.2, 78.7 ± 0.9, 90.7 ± 1.6, 105 ± 2.2, 37 ± 0.7, 39.4 ± 0.4, and 8.3 ± 0.1 cm) respectively, reflecting the observed differences in anthropometric parameters. The study also showed a significant effect (P<0.05) of these measures on the reproductive efficiency of local, as females that gave birth to twins outperformed females that gave birth to singletons in body measurements, indicating the importance of these measures in determining reproductive productivity levels.