The phenotypic characteristics of animals are the result of the interaction of genetic and non-genetic factors that act simultaneously, and it is difficult to determine the degree of influence of each of them.The goal of this study was to describe Assaf lamb morphology and its relationship with body weight (BW) at various ages. BWs and phenotypical characteristic measurements were taken on 392 lambs: 204 lambs at birth (±3 days of birth), 87 lambs at weaning (around 60 days), and 101 lambs at marketing age (around 120 days). The measurements were withers height (WH), body length (BL), chest girth (CG), chest depth (CD), head length (HL), head width (HW), rump length (RL), RW (RW), shoulder width (SW), shin circumference (SC), foreleg height (FLH), rump height (RH), and rear leg height (RLH).Month of birth (MO) affected (P<0.001) BW and all morphological characteristics except CD and RW at birth. At weaning, BW, HL, CG, RL, CD, SW, and RW were affected (P<0.001) by MO. The sex of the lamb, birth type, and dam age also affected (P<0.001) different morphological characteristics. Furthermore, BW was positively correlated with different morphological characteristics at different ages. Meanwhile, equations were developed to predict BW at birth, weaning, and marketing based on various morphological characteristics while taking height into account.

Knowledge of breeding objectives and selection criteria is essential for a successful breeding program. A questionnaire was prepared and distributed among breeders of various goat breeds in the Abu-Dhabi Emirate to explore their breeding objectives and selection criteria for the various goat breeds that they raise. A total of 293 different goat herds, with a total of 49,911 heads of goats, were investigated. A stepwise logistic regression was applied using the LOGIST procedure of SAS. The results suggest that goat breeders in the UAE are breeding goats mainly for meat production (94%), adaptability to the environment (40%), and disease resistance (35%). Only a few breeders considered milk production (21%) as a breeding objective. Factors that influenced breeders’ decisions on breeding objectives were the breed of goat, region, property type, and herd size. Nine out of the twelve doe selection criteria chosen by goat breeders are considered objective selection criteria, and only three are subjective selection criteria. Growth rate, fertility, twinning ability, and body morphology selection criteria were considered the most important on average by Emirati goat breeders, with a medium proportion (60–65%). Goat breeders have put slightly more pressure on buck subjective criteria. The most important buck selection criteria were growth rate (80%) and body morphology (76%), then fertility, buck being one of twins, and breed purity, with averages in 50-55%. Although increasing meat production was the main breeding objective, an effective breeding program must incorporate different selection criteria for does and bucks, considering differences in breeds, regions, property types, and herd sizes.