Abstract
The use of zootechnical indices in the production environment is essential to work assertively, with live weight being a crucial factor in monitoring the development and decision-making with animals.The present study aims to use morphometric measurements to predict the weight of heifers ½H and ¾H. A total of 299 heifers ¾ H and 32 heifers 1/2H were weighted (kg) in scale, measured (cm) with a tape to obtain the chest girth (CG) and forearm perimeter (FP), using a hypometer to measure wither height (WH), rump height (RH), and body length (BL). The procedures used were “proc means”, “proc cor” and “proc reg” parts of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) to obtain the means, correlations between weight, measures, and the regressions equations, respectively. The equations “ Body Weight = 61,49 + 0,000056 * CG^3” and “ Body Weight = 52,82 + 0,000061 * CG^3” allowed a greater accuracy when estimating the weight of heifers ½ H and ¾H, respectively. Some equations presented slightly superior coefficients of determination, however, they needed a higher number of measures than the two equations previously mentioned. The selected equations presented, respectively R2 equals 0,83 and 0,93, requiring only one measure (CG) to estimate the animal's weight.
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