Breed Preference by Farmers and the Morphometric Characteristics of Sukuma Goats and a Crossbred of Malya and Sukuma Goats in Maswa District, Tanzania

Aims: To study farmers’ perception toward performance of crossbreds (Malya x Sukuma) relative to the indigenous Sukuma goats. Study Design: The study was of cross-sectional design employing comparative analysis. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Maswa District of Tanzania over a three weeks period. Methodology: Fifty respondents from household which were previously involved in the crossbreeding program were sampled purposively. In which they were interviewed using questionnaires on good/positive and bad/negative attributes for each genotype, then ranks of desired breed according to market price, mature body size and age of attaining mature size. Body weights and linear body measurement of mature crossbred (Malya x Sukuma) goats and pure Sukuma goats were also taken after interviewing each household respondent. Interview data were analyzed using descriptive statistics option of SPSS and body measurements were analyzed using GLM procedure of SAS. Results: The most preferred breed was crossbred goats due to their high market price, large mature body size and early age of attaining mature size. Good attributes for Sukuma goats were disease resistance (98%) and drought resistance (94%) while bad attributes were low price in the market (88%), small body size (94%) and slow growth rate (72%). Good attributes for crossbred goats were premium price in the market (92%), high growth rate (80%) and large body size (94%). Bad attributes for crossbred goats had very low frequency. The crossbred goats were larger compared to Sukuma goats. Their mature body measurements were body length (60.6±0.46 cm), heart girth (77.6±0.58 cm), height at withers (66.4±0.42 cm) and body weight (35.1±0.52 kg) for crossbred goats while corresponding mature body measurements for Sukuma goats were 49.6±0.42 cm, 65.1±0.54 cm, 56.7±0.39 cm and 21.6±0.48 kg, respectively. Conclusion: Crossbred goats were accepted by farmers due to their beneficial impact to the households’ economy.