Table 3 Description of the six morphometric traits recorded on four indigenous cattle breeds from Benin
Morphometric traits | Description | Measuring device |
|---|---|---|
Height at withers | Vertical distance from the bottom of the front foot to the highest point of the shoulder between the withers | Measuring stick |
Sacrum height | Distance from the top of the bone at the base of the tail to the ground | Measuring stick |
Heart girth | Circumference of the body immediately behind the shoulder blades in a vertical plane, perpendicular to the long axis of the body | Measuring tape |
Hip width | Distance between the rearmost posterior points of pin bones | Wooden caliper |
Body length | Horizontal distance from the point of the shoulder to the pin bone | Measuring tape |
Ear length | Length on the back side of the ear from its root on the poll to the tip | Measuring tape |