INVESTIGATION OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOME INITIAL FATTENING BODY MEASUREMENTS AND COLD CARCASS WEIGHT IN AKKARAMAN LAMBS BY USING PATH ANALYSIS

In this research, 14 Akkaraman lambs were fattened after weaning at the 2.5 month age and then slaughtered. Fattening period constituted three months. Direct and indirect relationships between body measurements (live weight (X1), wither heights (X2), hearth girth (X3), chest depth (X4), leg girth (X5) and body length (X6)) taken at the beginning of fattening period and cold carcass weight (Y) in Akkaraman lambs were determined by path analysis. The path coefficients related to direct effects of each variables on estimated variable were determined as -0.1913 for X1, 0.6035 for X2, 0.7921 for X3, 0.1792 for X4, 0.3694 for X5, -0.8731 for X6 respectively. The determination coefficient (R2) was found as 80.6. It has been determined that the factors which have the highest effects on the cold carcass weight are the heart girth, body weight and wither heights. According to these results, it was stated that hearth girth, body length and wither heights could be used as indirect selection criteria for the selection of cold carcass weight and the effectiveness of fattening could be increased by taking into consideration of these features.