Survey data to identify the selection criteria used by breeders of four strains of Pakistani beetal goats

This article presents raw data from a survey conducted to identify the selection criteria of breeders raising either of four strains of Beetal goats, namely Beetal Faisalabadi, Beetal Makhi-Cheeni, Beetal Nuqri, and Beetal Rahim Yar Khan. After a pre-survey, a questionnaire was developed and a survey was conducted at four sites of the Punjab province of Pakistan: Faisalabad/Sahiwal, Bahawalpur/Bahawalnagar, Rajanpur, and Rahim Yar Khan. Each of these sites was the home tract of one strain. During the survey breeders (n = 162) were asked to rank the traits of their selection criteria based on the relative importance of those traits. Furthermore, the prevailing production system was also characterized by the breeders. For the interpretation of the results of this survey the readers are referred to Ref. [1]. The raw data set provided in this article can be extended in the future to include more strains of Beetal goats as well as other goat breeds. The selection criteria of breeders can change over time. This data set can also be used in future studies to investigate the temporal changes in the relative importance of different traits for the breeders. The factors potentially influencing those changes can also be investigated. This data set can further be utilized to design community based breeding plans tailored to the needs of the goat farming community.