Phenotypic Diversity and Path Analysis of Body Weight Determinants in Local Ducks of Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria

This study evaluated the phenotypic diversity, sexual dimorphism, and predictive value of linear body measurements on body weight of local ducks in Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, Nigeria. A total of 199 adult ducks were randomly selected. Both qualitative and quantitative traits were evaluated on individual ducks. Data collected were subjected to statistical analysis (IBM SPSS, version 23.0.0). Male ducks recorded non-significantly (P>0.05) higher body weight (1.91 ± 0.07 kg) compared to females (1.62 ± 0.06 kg). Correlation analysis revealed strong positive relationships between BW and traits such as body height (r = 0.387), wing length (r = 0.382), thigh length (r = 0.360), and breast girth (r = 0.348). Principal component analysis extracted one principal component, accounting for 71.25% of the total variance, with wing length, thigh length, and body size contributing the highest communalities (>0.80). Path coefficient analysis confirmed body height (direct effect = 0.250) and breast girth (direct effect = 0.227) as the most reliable predictors of BW, while neck length (-0.183 direct effect) and beak length (0.017 direct effect) showed limited predictive value. These findings highlight breast girth and body height as primary selection criteria for genetic improvement of local ducks in the area.