The Choice of Breeding Objectives and Selection Criteria Decided by Breeders of Various Goat Breeds and Factors Influencing Them

Knowledge of breeding objectives and selection criteria is essential for a successful breeding program. A questionnaire was prepared and distributed among breeders of various goat breeds in the Abu-Dhabi Emirate to explore their breeding objectives and selection criteria for the various goat breeds that they raise. A total of 293 different goat herds, with a total of 49,911 heads of goats, were investigated. A stepwise logistic regression was applied using the LOGIST procedure of SAS. The results suggest that goat breeders in the UAE are breeding goats mainly for meat production (94%), adaptability to the environment (40%), and disease resistance (35%). Only a few breeders considered milk production (21%) as a breeding objective. Factors that influenced breeders’ decisions on breeding objectives were the breed of goat, region, property type, and herd size. Nine out of the twelve doe selection criteria chosen by goat breeders are considered objective selection criteria, and only three are subjective selection criteria. Growth rate, fertility, twinning ability, and body morphology selection criteria were considered the most important on average by Emirati goat breeders, with a medium proportion (60–65%). Goat breeders have put slightly more pressure on buck subjective criteria. The most important buck selection criteria were growth rate (80%) and body morphology (76%), then fertility, buck being one of twins, and breed purity, with averages of 50-55%. Although increasing meat production was the main breeding objective, an effective breeding program must incorporate different selection criteria for does and bucks, considering differences in breeds, regions, property types, and herd sizes.