Estimation of Live Weight by Body Measurements in the Miranda Donkey Breed.

The research aims to establish an accurate method to estimate the live weight of large frame European donkey breeds using certain body measurements. The researchers found that the heart girth measurement, applied in a specific formula, gives a precise estimation of the donkey’s weight.

Research Context and Objectives

• The wider context for this study is to provide a practical, accurate method for estimating the weight of large framed European donkey breeds where a scale is not readily available. This can be particularly useful in determining medication dosage and load-carrying capability on an individual basis.
• The study centres around the Miranda donkey breed, chosen for its representativeness of large framed European breeds. Previous research has predominantly focused on smaller breeds, meaning that weight estimation formulas tended to underestimate the weight of larger breeds.

Research Methodology

• The researchers used a sample of 65 Miranda donkeys of various ages, from 4 days to 15.4 years. They took three different types of body measurements: height, body length (BL), and heart girth (HG).
• The relationship between these body measurements and live weight (LW) was analyzed statistically. Apart from determining whether the correlations were statistically significant, the degree of correlation was assessed in terms of accuracy, with a higher degree indicating a more accurate estimation of weight.

Key Findings

• All correlations between LW and the body measurements were found to be statistically significant, meaning that height, BL, and HG are all valid indicators of weight. However, the degree of accuracy was higher for the HG measurement, shown by a higher correlation coefficient (r = 0.937), than for the BL (r = 0.915) or height (r = 0.894).
• The Quadratic model formula based on HG measurements resulted in the most accurate estimation of LW: LW = 98.138 – 3.0386 × HG + 0.0293 × HG (LW in kilograms, HG in centimeters).
• This formula can potentially be used to create a weighing tape specifically adapted to large frame European donkey breeds, providing a practical tool for correctly estimating weight in situations where a scale is not available.