Dairy goats prefer to use different flooring types to perform different behaviours

Sutherland, Mhairi A.; Lowe, Gemma; Watson, Trevor; Ross, Colleen; Rapp, Delphine; Zobel, Gosia

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2017.09.004

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…There is evidence that indoor-housed domestic goats prefer hard surfaces for lying, such as expanded metal and solid wood ( Bøe et al, 2007 ), and rubber mats and plastic slating ( Sutherland et al, 2017 ). Interestingly, these studies also showed softer surfaces such as straw were the least preferred lying surface ( Bøe et al, 2007 ), and wood shavings were mainly used for elimination rather than for lying ( Sutherland et al, 2017 ). The observation of various wild Capra species confirms that there is a definite need to also rest in elevated spaces, such as on rocks ( Figure 2a ), cliffs, and in caves.…”

Section: Developing Goat Housing Systems That Meet Natural Behavior Nmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding natural behavior to improve dairy goat (Capra hircus) management systems

Zobel

Neave

Webster

2018

Translational Animal Science

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Public interest is stimulating farming industries to improve animal welfare in production systems. Indoor housing of ruminants has received scrutiny because of perceived intensiveness and lack of naturalness. Animal welfare has traditionally focused on health benefits (e.g., bedding management and reducing disease) and reducing negative experiences (e.g., painful husbandry practices). Recent attention to animals having “a life worth living” extends expectations to provide increased care and opportunities for positive experiences and natural behaviors. Although not all natural behaviors necessarily contribute to improved welfare, we present evidence for why many are important, and for how they can be promoted in commercial systems. Worldwide, commercial dairy goats (Capra hircus) are frequently housed in large open barns with space to move and soft bedding for lying; however, this is not sufficient to promote the range of natural behaviors of goats, which in turn suggests that commercial housing could be improved. The basis for this thinking is from the range of behaviors expressed by the Capra genus. Collectively, these species have evolved cognitive and behavioral strategies to cope with harsh and changing environments, as well as variable and limited vegetation. The rocky and often steep terrain that goats inhabit allows for predator avoidance and access to shelter, so it is not surprising that domesticated goats also seek out elevation and hiding spaces; indeed, their hoof structure is designed for the movement and grip in such rugged environments. The browsing techniques and flexibility in diet selection of wild, feral and extensively managed goats, appears to be equally important to housed goats, highlighting the need for more complexity in how and what goats are fed. Goats naturally live in small, dynamic groups, governed by complex social structures in which horns play a strong role. Commercial housing systems should consider the benefits of more natural-sized social groups and revisit the rationale behind horn removal. We suggest that cognitive stimulation is a potential welfare improvement for goats in commercial settings. Goat cognitive abilities, which enabled success in complex and variable social and physical environments, are unchallenged in uniform environments, potentially leading to negative affective states. We make suggestions for housing improvements that could be readily adopted into current systems without compromising production efficiency.

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Section: Developing Goat Housing Systems That Meet Natural Behavior Nmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding natural behavior to improve dairy goat (Capra hircus) management systems

Zobel

Neave

Webster

2018

Translational Animal Science

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“…Hard surfaces such as concrete may increase natural wear of the hooves. Additionally, goats spent more time lying on rubber matting and plastic slats than wood shavings indicating that goats may prefer solid surfaces to lie on than straw or wood chip [27]. Whether concrete and other solid surfaces are preferable over soft bedding materials and natural hoof wear is observed remains to be seen.…”

Section: Goat Husbandrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Health and Welfare Survey of 30 Dairy Goat Farms in the Midwestern United States

Hempstead

Lindquist

Shearer

et al. 2021

Animals

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Dairy goat production in the Midwestern United States is increasing at a rapid rate and information on dairy goat husbandry practices applicable for producers in this region is limited. The objective of this study was to survey 30 dairy goat farms in the Midwestern US to provide insight into husbandry practices pertaining to health, welfare, and production, and to identify areas of future research. A questionnaire was developed and comprised 163 questions that were organized into categories including information on the producer (e.g., farming experience), staff, and goats (e.g., herd size, breed), housing, feeding and nutrition, milking practices and production, kid management, husbandry practices (e.g., disbudding, castration, hoof trimming), and health. Areas of future research that can improve goat health, production and welfare include pain relief for husbandry practices such as disbudding and castration, early kid management during birth to prevent illness/disease or mortality (e.g., warm and dry areas for kid rearing), eradication programs for common contagious diseases, training programs and education for claw trimming, disbudding, and udder health. In conclusion, this study provided insight into the husbandry practices carried out on 30 dairy goat farms in the Midwestern US and areas of research to improve health and welfare.

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“…For example, a recent review highlighted that in dairy cows the total duration of lying time is positively affected by the presence of soft bedding material (Tucker et al 2021), whereas Bøe et al (2007) report that goats perceive straw (i.e., a soft bedding) as an unattractive bedding material, probably because they have the same preference of their wild ancestors for lying on hard surfaces (i.e., rocks, that are typically in elevated spaces and hidden, as anti-predatory strategy; Dwyer 2009;Zobel et al 2019). Furthermore, Bøe et al (2007) and Sutherland et al (2017) suggest that thermal conductivity properties of the lying surface may be more important than softness for goats' comfort, although results are discordant because animals were subjected to different treatments prior to the trial in these studies. In fact, previous experience can influence animals' choice (Bøe et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Goats sleep during the night, but they also spend some time resting during daytime, approximately 20-25% of time in natural environment (Shi et al 2003). On farm, the duration of daytime lying behaviour may be affected by different environmental conditions, such as ambient temperature, stocking density, flooring material or access to outside enclosure (Loretz et al 2004;Bøe et al 2006;Andersen and Bøe 2007;Bøe et al 2007Bøe et al , 2012Sutherland et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of a reduced amount of straw bedding on goats’ comfort and hygienic characteristics of milk and straw

Celozzi

Mattiello

Battini

et al. 2021

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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The present study aims to understand the influence of a reduced amount of straw litter on goats' lying comfort and hygienic characteristics of milk and straw. Lying behaviour (frequency, lying posture, location and social context) of 24 Alpine goats subjected to two different straw treatments (Regular: 2 kg/straw/head þ 1 kg straw/head/day, n ¼ 12; Scarce: 1 kg straw/head þ 0.5 kg straw/head/day, n ¼ 12) was observed from video recordings using a scan sampling method at 15-min scan intervals in March 2017. Moreover, straw and milk samples were submitted to microbiological analysis for the detection of total bacteria (SPC) and Enterobacteriaceae count. No significant differences in the duration of lying were observed between treatments, except at the beginning of the experimental period (Day 1: Regular: 26.0%; Scarce: 20.3% of scans; p < .05). In both treatments lying behaviour followed the normal lying patterns for goats, with a preference for sternal lying (99.4% of scans), in contact with a pen wall (78.2% of scans) and not in contact with other goats (alone: 79.7% of scans). Milk and straw SPC and Enterobacteriaceae count were not affected by the treatment. This preliminary study suggests the possibility to reduce the amount of straw as bedding material in goat farms, without affecting animal welfare and microbiological characteristics of milk and straw litter. However, further studies are required to confirm these results under different climatic conditions. HIGHLIGHTSReducing the amount of straw bedding does not affect goats' comfort Microbiological characteristics of milk and straw are not affected by the amount of straw bedding Provided that a daily addition is guaranteed, it seems possible to reduce management costs by reducing the amount of straw as bedding material ARTICLE HISTORY

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Dairy goats prefer to use different flooring types to perform different behaviours

Cited by 11 publications

References 26 publications

Understanding natural behavior to improve dairy goat (Capra hircus) management systems

Understanding natural behavior to improve dairy goat (Capra hircus) management systems

Health and Welfare Survey of 30 Dairy Goat Farms in the Midwestern United States

Effect of a reduced amount of straw bedding on goats’ comfort and hygienic characteristics of milk and straw

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