Title: Udder And Teat Traits As Possible Selection Markers For Milk Yield In Local Goats Of Nigeria
Abstract: This study was carried out at the Research Farm of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi, Nigeria (October, 2003 – May, 2006) to investigate the effects of some factors (breed, stage of gestation, body condition score and stage of lactation) on udder and teat traits with their relationships with partial daily milk yield (PDM) in goats. The goat breeds studied were Red Sokoto, Sahel and West African Dwarf. The traits studied included udder circumference (UC), udder length (UL), teat length (TL), teat height to ground (THG) and teat circumference (TC). The results showed that during pregnancy these traits were significantly (P