Estimates of Direct and Maternal Genetic Effects on Birth and Weaning Weights in Salem Black Goats from India

Growth traits in goats are impacted by both genetic and non-genetic variables; as such, it is critical to separate direct and maternal effects for reliable genetic assessment. This study determined the phenotypic and genetic characteristics for birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), and average daily gain (ADG) in Salem Black goats. The MTDFREML software was used to evaluate data from 930 kids, the progeny of 147 bucks and 804 does, gathered between 2004 and 2019. Three models were compared: Model 1 (direct genetic effects only), Model 2 (adding permanent environmental effects), and Model 3 (adding maternal genetic effects and direct–maternal covariance). The overall mean was 2.21 kg for BW, 9.23 kg for WW, and 78.27 g/day for ADG. The direct heritability estimates for BW, WW, and ADG were 0.06–0.22, 0.13–0.40, and 0.11–0.16 across models, respectively, whereas maternal heritability ranged from 0.01 to 0.13. The study revealed maternal genetic effects on birth weight but their total contribution to growth trait variation is modest, and model parsimony suggests that maternal effects on WW and ADG be excluded. Breeding programs should therefore prioritize direct selection for growth performance, whereas management strategies such as enhanced nutrition, targeted kidding, and support for first-parity do provide more rapid and effective avenues to improve pre-weaning developmental outcomes. Hence, a pragmatic approach that combines direct genetic selection and environmental optimization would result in greater genetic gain and support long-term meat production in Salem Black goats.