Body weight variability in surti kids under field conditions

Data on body weight records (N=1416) of Surti kids maintained at six clusters operational under All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Goat Improvement- Surti Field Unit during the period from 2009 to 2011 were used. Least squares analysis revealed that year of birth, season, sex, colour of kid, type of birth and clusters were significant (P<0.05) sources of variation for live body weight in Surti kids. Climatic stress of higher humidity and rainfall proved to be a major factor for retarded growth at all ages. The present study provides baseline information on fixed factors affecting body weight variability in Surti kids at different ages.