Genetic evaluation of reproductive traits in Raeini Cashmere goat using structural ‎equation modeling

In the present study, data collected from 1993 to 2011 in Raeini Cashmere goat breeding station were used for genetic evaluation and inferring causal relationships among reproductive traits applying structural equation models. The studied lifetime reproductive traits were included the overall number of kids born (OLSB), the overall number of kids weaned (OLSW), the overall litter weight at birth (OLWB) and the overall litter weight at weaning (OLWW). Three models including standard (SMM), recursive based on prior knowledge (PRM) and recursive based on inductive causation algorithm (ICM) multivariate models were used for genetic evaluation of animals under the Bayesian approach. The comparisons of the investigated models via deviance information criterion (DIC), mean square error (MSE) and Pearson's correlations between observed and predicted records () revealed that ICM had lower DIC and MSE and higher () for all the studied lifetime reproductive traits; implying the more plausibility of ICM over SMM and PRM. Furthermore, re-raking of the animals under SMM and ICM confirmed the importance of considering the causal relationship among the traits for ensuring accurate ranking of animals according to their breeding values.