Comparison of Nonlinear Growth Models to Estimate Growth Curves in Kivircik Sheep under a Semi-Intensive Production System

Simple Summary Following the growth of a fattening animal is an important aspect since farmers aim to maximize their profits by improving their slaughter weight. Growth models can fit the age-weight data into biologically interpretable parameters that provide a growth curve for monitoring animal growth, thus identifying the growth declining point during the fattening period. In this study, we aimed to define the best fitting growth model for describing Kivircik lamb growth. While the Gompertz model was identified as the best fitting growth model, it was determined that male lambs, twin lambs, and winter-born lambs had a higher mature weight. Even though they may be lighter at birth, the proportion of their prospective weight gain was found to be higher compared to female, single-born, and spring-born lambs. Our results showed that the estimation error of the Gompertz model ranged between -0.43 kg to 0.60 kg. In conclusion, according to the Gompertz model's estimation, Kivircik lambs reached 40.7% of their slaughter weight at weaning and had a 66.3% degree of maturity at the slaughter age, which indicated inappropriate management. The Kivircik is an indigenous sheep breed from Turkey, and it has superior meat quality compared to other indigenous breeds. Therefore, farmers prioritize Kivircik lamb fattening instead of milk production. Here, we aimed to determine the best nonlinear growth model, i.e., Gompertz, Logistic, Von Bertalanffy, and Brody, to describe the growth curve of Kivircik lambs. The body weight data from birth until 150 days of age belonging to 612 lambs were used as the material of this study. The best fitting model was selected by considering the adjusted coefficient of determination (R-adj(2)), residual mean square, and Akaike's (AIC) and Bayesian information criteria (BIC). Even though the Brody model had a better statistical fit, considering its biological interpretation, the Gompertz model was identified as an appropriate model for describing Kivircik lamb growth. Male lambs, twin lambs, and lambs born in winter had higher mature live weights (44.2 kg, 71.2 kg, and 38.5 kg, respectively) and rate of weight gain (2.1, 2.6, and 2.0, respectively). However, our subgroups revealed a similar rate of maturity (0.01). Growth models are important tools for deciding the optimal slaughter age and they provide valuable information on the management practices of both sexes, birth types, and birth seasons. These results can be applied to breeding programs for early selection, enabling intervention strategies when needed.