I. Mallam1*, A. Yakubu2, N.P. Achi3

1Department of Animal Science, Kaduna State University, Kafanchan Campus, Kaduna State, Nigeria
2Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Shabu-Lafia, Campus, P.M.B. 135, Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria
3Dairy Research Programme, National Animal Production Research Institute/Ahmadu Bello University, Shika, Zaria

(Manuscript received 18 February 2024; accepted for publication 2 September 2024)

Abstract. The study was conducted to predict the body weight of mixed breeds of pigs in Nigeria through morpho-biometric traits (body length, chest girth, height at withers, ear length, head length, foreleg length, and hind leg length) using classification and regression tree models. The data were produced using 500 randomly selected mixed breeds of pigs from various farms in five Local Government Areas of Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. The collected data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, 2016). Body weight correlated well with morphometric characteristics except with foreleg length, which had a low correlation and no significant (P>0.05) difference. Two body dimensions were shown to be more effective in predicting the body weight of the mixed-breeds based on the significance of the independent variables: chest girth and body length. The largest dividing variable was determined to be chest girth, which explained roughly 88.60 % of the difference in body weight. The decision tree model revealed that pigs with chest girth or chest circumference greater than 76.00 cm are expected to have a higher body weight, which livestock producers and researchers could use to determine the feed amount, drug dose, and market price of an animal, as well as the management, selection, and genetic improvement of mixed breeds of pigs in Nigeria.