Adoption and utilisation of indigenous knowledge (IK) is declining. The objective of the current study was to determine differences in the extent of use of IK to control gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in goats between wet and dry environments. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Almost all households used IK in controlling parasites. There was a close association among environment, gender, and religion (p < 0.05) on IK use. Farmers who were less poor were 2.38 times more likely to use IK (p > 0.05) than farmers that were poor. Adults were 1.20 more likely to use IK (p < 0.05) than younger people. Unemployed farmers were 4.26 more likely to use IK compared to their employed counter parts (p < 0.01). Having a herbalist in the community was 3.6 times more likely to influence the use of IK (p < 0.05) compared to the environment in which there was no herbalist. Farmers that received informal education in the dry environment were 5.88 times more likely to use IK (p < 0.05) than those in the wet environment. Farmers who practised traditional Zulu culture were 2.05 times more likely to use IK compared to those following the Christian faith (p < 0.05). The considerable variation in the adoption of IK suggests that intervention strategies that advance IK use should consider the socio-demographic information of the community.

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Background The use of indigenous knowledge (IK) to control gastrointestinal nematodes has been known since ancient times. The objective of the study was to characterise the use of indigenous knowledge to control gastrointestinal nematodes in goats. Methods A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from farmers. Chi-square was used to compute associations; the generalized linear model was used for mean rank scores. Results Roundworms were the most common gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) affecting goats reared in the bushland vegetation type than grasslands. Twelve plant species were commonly used to control GIN in goats, with Cissus quadrangularis Linn. singled out as the most widely used plant with a use-value of 0.97, followed by Albizia anthelminthica Brongn. (0.66), Cissus rotundifolia (Forssk.) Vahl (0.63), Vachellia xanthophloea (Benth.) P.J.H. Hurter (0.59), Aloe marlothii A. Berger (0.58), Sclerocarya birrea (A. Rich.) Hochst (0.54), Gomphocarpus physocarpus E. Mey (0.53), Aloe maculata All. (0.50), Trichilia emetica Vahl (0.47), Aloe ferox Mill. (0.43), Vernonia neocorymbosa Hilliard (0.25) and Schkuhria pinnata (Lam) Kuntze ex Thell (0.16). C. rotundifolia, V. xanthophloea, S. birrea and T. emetica were dominant plant species used to control GIN in goats reared in the grassland vegetation. A. maculata, A. ferox and V. neocorymbosa were dominant in the bushland vegetation type. Conclusion The study revealed that ethnoveterinary plants are widely used in grassland and bushland vegetation types to control GIN in goats. Scientific validation of their efficacy and safety should be carried out to provide a cheaper alternative, thus improving the community livelihoods and development.

The objective of the current study is to compare the behavioural responses of Xhosa lob-eared, Nguni and Boer goats and their crosses to blood collection and rectal palpation. A total of 48, six-month old castrated male indigenous goats of the Xhosa lob-eared, Nguni and Boer goats and their crosses were kept at the University of Fort Hare Farm, South Africa for eight weeks. The goats were randomly assigned to four pen groups with each pen having three goats of the same breed among the 12 goats in each pen. Immediately after blood and faecal collection, behavioural measurements through vocalization scoring (VS), pen scoring (PS), crush scoring (CS), flight speed (FS) and flight time (FT) were recorded for each goat every forth-night for 8 weeks. The Nguni was the most temperamental (p < 0.05) and the Boer goats were the most calm. There were significant increases in the behavioural scores of the four breeds during the successive weeks of handling. It can be concluded that the Boer goats had the calmest temperament, followed by the crossbreds, and lastly the Xhosa the Nguni were the most combative.

Background:Resource-limited households in smallholder farming systems slaughter goats use indigenous methods for performing traditional ceremonies and meat consumption. Although extensive research has been done to determine the effect of slaughter methods on meat physico-chemical characteristics, there is paucity of informationon methods which are indigenous to Nguni people. Therefore,the objective of the study was to determine meat quality of Nguni goats slaughtered using indigenous slaughter methods. Methods:Thirty 15-18-month old wetherswere randomly assigned to three slaughter methods; transverse neck incision (TNI), suprasternal notch piercing (SNP) and under shoulder blade chest floor point of elbow piercing (CFP) to the direction of the heart. Post-mortem, them. longissimus thoracis et lumborum(LTL) was sampled for meat quality measurements. Results:Wethersslaughtered using the SNP method had greaterultimate pH values when compared with TNI and CFP slaughter methods. Wethers slaughtered using SNP method had greater rate of pH decline when compared with TNI and CFP slaughter methods. Whethers slaughtered using the SNP method had lower meat redness (a*), yellowness (b*), and chroma (C*) values when compared with TNI and CFP slaughter methods.Slaughter method had no effect (P≥ 0.05)on drip loss, water holding capacity,cooking lossand shear force. Conclusions:Overall, Nguni wethersslaughtered using theTNI and CFP methods produced chevonwithfresh meatappearance.