Morphological characterization of indigenous sheep population reared in selected districts of the Gurage area, Central Ethiopia

Indigenous sheep are important to food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers in Ethiopia; however, information on their morphological characteristics and farmers' trait selection criteria remains limited in the Gurage area. This study aimed to characterize morphological traits of the indigenous sheep populations and identify farmers' selection criteria across highland and midland agro-ecologies of Gurage Area, Central Ethiopia. A total of 280 sheep were characterized using qualitative and quantitative morphological descriptors, while selection criteria were assessed through interviews with 120 randomly selected households. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed by using SPSS version 26. Farmers prioritized mothering ability and short lambing interval when selecting breeding ewes, whereas body conformation and growth rate were the principal selection criteria for rams. Agro-ecology significantly (P < 0.001) affected morphometrical measurements, particularly BW, HW, PW, CC, and SC, demonstrating considerable phenotypic variation and adaptation to diverse production environments. Among coat color patterns, patchy was the predominant phenotype (49.28%), followed by plain (35.43%) and spotted (14.28%), reflecting the broad phenotypic variation of the local sheep population. The overall least squares means indicated a medium-sized sheep population with a live body weight of 27.83 ± 5.00 kg, body length of 58.07 cm , heart girth of 70.67 cm, and height at withers of 63.21 cm. Sheep reared in the midland agro-ecology consistently exhibited significantly greater live body weight and superior linear body measurements than those in the highland. The observed phenotypic diversity and farmers' trait preferences provide a strong foundation for designing community-based breeding programs, and context-specific research and development interventions that enhance productivity while conserving the valuable indigenous sheep genetic resources of the Gurage area.