Kefir is a sour, viscous, slightly carbonated and alcoholic milk beverage, which is traditionally fermented using a culture of bacteria and yeasts. The influence of kefir on health has been well studied in mice and rats. However, research on kefir use in ruminants is rather limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of kefir as a probiotic on the performance of goat kids during the pre-(45 days) and post-weaning (45 days) periods. Forty eight kids were randomly allocated to four treatment groups: Control, Kefir, Auto-Kefir (autoclaved) and Probiotic (a commercial probiotic). The kids were weaned at 45 days of age. The supplementation of different probiotics did not have any significant effect throughout the study on live weight and weight gain of the kids as compared to the Control group. Milk intake or milk-based nutrient intake of kids did not differ significantly among treatments in the pre-weaning period. Similarly, the intake of concentrate feed and nutrients from the concentrate was not affected by the treatments during postweaning. No significant differences in faecal consistency of kids were found among the treatments. The results of the study indicated that supplementation of kefir as a natural probiotic or a commercial probiotic source does not improve performance of goat kids under the conditions in the present study and suggest that new approaches are required for studying the efficacy of this probiotic. ________________________________________________________________________________

Cereal pastures are a crucial source of forage to reduce grazing pressure on shrublands in the Mediterranean basin. This study aimed at investigating the grazing preferences and behaviours of goats with different genotypes, when a grazing area of shrubland (0.18 ha), which was composed of 88% shrubs, 10% herbaceous species and 2% footpath and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) pasture (0.20 ha) were offered together. Twelve lactating mature (in 2007) and 15 non-lactating yearling goats (in 2008) of three genotypes (Gökçeada, Maltese and Turkish Saanen) were used. The study was carried out for 45 days during the months of April and May. Animals stayed in the pasture for 8 h daily. No roughage or concentrate was offered. Grazing, lying, standing and ruminating behaviours were recorded at 10-min intervals, whereas bipedal stance and walking behaviours were continuously monitored by observers. Mature goats spent one-third and yearling goats spent half of their time in the shrubs. The frequency of preferences to pasture types differed among mature goat genotypes (P ≤ 0.05), but not among the yearling goats (P > 0.05). Grazing of wheat pasture by Gökçeada, of herbaceous plants in the shrubland by Maltese and of shrubs by Turkish Saanen goats were more prominent (P ≤ 0.05). In conclusion, goats gave priority to wheat pasture and grazing preferences and behaviours differed by genotypes. Turkish Saanen goats tended to show more bipedal stance behaviour than the other genotypes. However, there were high individual variations within genotype and age groups.

This study aimed at investigating the effects of weaning kids abruptly at an average of 55 Ϯ 13 days of age on intake, behavioral and serum parameters and, lasted for a total of six weeks; two weeks pre-weaning and four weeks post-weaning. Sixteen single kids with equal gender were used. Kids were only allowed to stay with their mothers for suckling (45 min/period) both in the morning and in the evening period during pre-weaning. Grower concentrate and hay were offered ad libitum. The duration of the study was divided into three periods for the sampling of behavioral and serum parameters; (i) pre-weaning period lasting for two weeks (P-BW) (ii) early post-weaning period lasting for one week (P-AW1) and (iii) late post-weaning period lasting for three weeks (P-AW2). Daily weight gain of kids gradually decreased as the observation period progressed (P = 0.001). However concentrate feed intake increased from 0.154 kg/day in P-BW to 0.479 kg/day in P-AW1 and 0.499 kg/day in P-AW2. Water intake, rumination and standing behaviors decreased in P-AW2 (P < 0.001), whereas activity towards concentrate feed (CF) (P < 0.001) and roughage (P = 0.012) increased as compared to P-BW and P-AW1. Abnormal oral activity was not affected by the periods (P = 0.906). CF was significantly higher in females (P = 0.003), whereas males displayed higher lying behavior (P = 0.007). Glucose, total protein, urea, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol concentrations (P = 0.001) and ALP activity (P = 0.003) were significantly affected by the periods. The results of the present study suggest that behavioral and serum parameters across the periods describe changes in the nutritional conditions as a result of the transition from milk to solid feed in association with weaning.*Different letters in the same row indicate significance (P < 0.05). †P-BW: 1st and 2nd weeks of the study; P-AW1: 3rd week of the study; P-AW2: 4th to 6th weeks of the study. CFI, concentrate feed intake; LW, live weight; LWG, live weight gain; MI, milk intake; WI, water intake.Animal Science Journal (2008) 79, 435-442 †The odds ratio of males is 1.00. AOA, abnormal oral activity; CF, activity towards concentrate feed; L, lying; R, rumination; RO, activity towards roughage; S, standing; WI, water intake.438 C. ATASOGLU et al.

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of kefir, a traditional source of probiotic, on coccidial oocysts excretion and on the performance of dairy goat kids following weaning. Twin kids were randomly allocated to one of two groups at weaning. Kids of the first group received 20 ml of kefir daily for 6 weeks (KEF), while kids in the control group were given a placebo (CON). Individual faecal samples were regularly (n = 18 per kid) taken to quantify the number of coccidial oocysts per gram of faeces (OpG). There were no differences between the groups in terms of body weight development (P > 0.05) and feed consumption. Kids of both groups were not able to consume enough feed to meet their nutrient requirements during the first 3 weeks following weaning. KEF had a lower frequency of OpG positive samples than CON (P = 0.043). Kefir did not affect the maximum oocyst excretion and age of the kids at the highest oocyst excretion (P > 0.05). KEF shed numerically 35% lower coccidial oocysts than the controls, which corresponded to a statistical tendency (P = 0.074) in lowering Log-OpG in comparison to CON. While KEF had a lower frequency of OpG positive samples and tended to shed lower OPG by around one-third, the frequency of diarrhea, level of highest oocyst excretion, and performance of the kids remained unaffected. Therefore, it is concluded that overall effects of kefir do not have a significant impact on sub-clinical infection and performance in weaned kids under relatively high-hygienic farming conditions.

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