Genetic parameter estimates for birth and weaning weights in Raeini goats

The aim of the present study was to estimate variance components and genetic parameters for birth and weaning weights in Raeini goats. The data were collected from the Breeding Centre of Raeini (BCR) cashmere goats in Kerman province of Iran from 1986 to 2008. Random effects included direct and maternal additive genetic effects, maternal permanent environmental effects with direct-maternal genetic covariance and random residual effects. Variance and covariance components and genetic parameters were estimated using the DFREML program by fitting six single-trait animal models. Depending on the model, hd2 varied from 0.057 to 0.323 for birth weight and from 0.043 to 0.229 for weaning weight. Estimates of m2 ranged from 0.016 to 0.289 for birth weight and from 0.01 to 0.184 for weaning weight. The maternal permanent environmental effect was significant for both traits and ignoring maternal effects in the model caused the overestimation of direct heritability.