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

The Kivircik is an indigenous sheep breed of 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. 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 (R2adj), residual mean square, 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 to describe 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 optimal slaughter age and 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.