A Comparative Study of Body Weight Estimation Formulas for Male Bali Cattle under a Semi-Intensive Management System in Mbawa Village, West Nusa Tenggara

Abstract

Bali cattle are an indigenous Indonesian beef cattle breed with an important role in supporting beef production and rural livelihoods. In Bima, Bali cattle are an important livestock resource, and accurate body weight information is useful for supporting feeding and other management practices. However, the availability of weighing facilities at the farm level is often limited, making body weight estimation based on morphometric measurements a practical alternative. This study aimed to compare body weight estimates obtained using the Djagra, Winter, and Schoorl formulas and to determine their deviations from the reference body weight in 1–2-year-old male Bali cattle raised under a semi-intensive management system. The study was conducted in March 2023 in Mbawa Village, Donggo District, Bima Regency, West Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. Data were collected from 50 male Bali cattle using heart girth and body length measurements for body weight estimation. The results showed that the mean heart girth and body length were 129 ± 5.31 cm and 114.50 ± 5.34 cm, respectively. The estimated body weights were 268.48 ± 28.87 kg using the Djagra formula, 271.44 ± 29.19 kg using the Winter formula, and 228.10 ± 16.23 kg using the Schoorl formula. Relative to the reference body weight of 223.75 kg, the percentage deviations were 18.48%, 19.61%, and 5.49%, respectively. Among the three formulas evaluated, the Schoorl formula produced the estimate closest to the reference value in the study population. However, its performance should be interpreted as population-specific because the accuracy of body weight estimation formulas may vary according to animal characteristics and management conditions. Further validation using actual body weight measurements is required before applying the formulas to other Bali cattle populations.