Preliminary results from the newly initiated goat project

Liv Lønne Dille

Under natural conditions, goats live in flocks/groups of varying sizes, depending on the local conditions. The largest flocks, consisting of 100-150 animals, can be found in open terrain. However, smaller groups of 2-10 animals are most common. She-goats show more aggression than females of other hoofed animals.

Geiter Photo: Liv Lønne Dille

Among goats, social status has a significant effect on the animals’ access to resources and reproductive success. Goats are remarkably active, utilizing most of the area they have access to. The access to a sufficiently large area is thus important for a flock to function properly, so that low-status animals can avoid high-status individuals.

Goats originally come from warmer regions. However, numerous goat breeds have relatively thick coats, and experience shows that goats are well equipped to cope with low temperatures. In contrast to sheep and cattle, very little or no research has been conducted on goats to document their low-temperature tolerance and to study the effect of climatic factors on performance and health.

More basic environmental and behavioural knowledge is needed to gain a better understanding of how goats interact with their environment. Being a highly competitive species, goats are suitable as models that also can be applied to other species. Such knowledge will also form the basis for developing criteria for functional livestock housing, as well as providing a foundation for formulating animal husbandry regulations - in this specific case, for dairy goats.

The project aims to study goats' tolerance of low temperatures and the effect of floor type/bedding material used in simple, non-insulated sheds. Furthermore, the project aims to elucidate how flock size, stocking rate, number of openings in the feeder slats and social stress affect goats' aggression, performance and fertility.

Over the next four years, the following issues shall be studied within the project:

1. Effect of low temperatures and floor type/bedding on milk yields, milk quality and udder health, as well as resting behaviour and bedding preference.

2. Goats' choice of resting area, and their thermoregulatory behaviour in cold environments.

3. Flight zone (“personal space”) of goats with different social status kept in fixed social groups and under given environmental conditions. This shall provide the basis for calculating resting and active area requirements (using both models and actual observations).

4. Relationship between social stress, dominance and reproductive stress, where social stress implies integration of new animals in an already established flock.

5. Effect of different flock sizes on aggression, performance and feeding/activity patterns.

6. Optimise the number of feeder openings in an ad lib roughage feeding regime, with the aim of minimal competition (bullying) and maximum feeding time.

Preliminary results show that goats prefer mattresses or expanded metal to straw bedding or wood floors. However, the preference for expanded metal may be due to the fact that the goats were already accustomed to this material. Mattresses were especially preferred to the expanded metal floors at low temperatures, indicating that preferences significantly depend on the ambient temperature.

Another experiment dealt with the size and organisation of the resting areas (0.5, 0.75 and 1.0 m2 per animal in one or two stories). Results show that the length of the resting period declines drastically with increasing animal density and with increasing numbers of simultaneously resting animals. The results indicate that goats have a large flight zone, and that they prefer a certain distance to the nearest individual. The use of resting shelves (in two layers) resulted in less aggression than resting on one level only, independent of the actual resting area.

Scientists from France and Switzerland have been linked to the project, and we are cooperating with NORAS HUS in Tromsø on developing modern housing facilities for goats. In addition, TINE Norwegian Dairies is directly involved, and a researcher from IØR shall provide modelling assistance. The trials will mainly be carried out in the goat barn at UMB, except for certain experiments that will be conducted at Gibostad Secondary School in Senja.

Published: 01.11.08
Updated: 08.01.09
Printerfriendly version

Del med en venn:

Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences

P.O. Box 5003
N-1432 Ås

Phone: +47 64 96 51 00
Fax: +47 64 96 51 01

E-mail: iha@umb.no

Webmaster: Janne Karin Brodin