Volume 157, August 2014, Pages 72–80
Highlights
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- The strict dominance hierarchy bears the risk of low-ranking goats not getting access to feed.
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- We tested the effect of restraint in headlocks with and without blinds at the feed barrier on feeding and agonistic behaviour in horned and hornless goats.
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- Feeding duration was longer when goats were restrained in headlocks during feeding.
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- Agonistic interactions with contact were reduced only when being restrained with additional blinds present or with free access to feed (horned goats).
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- Restraint enabled all herd members to feed immediately after feed delivery. But blinds between adjacent feeding places are necessary to prevent agonistic interactions with physical contact.
Abstract
The
strict dominance hierarchy in goats bears the risk of low-ranking goats
not getting adequate access to feed, especially for goats in small
groups. The aim of our study was to test the effect of restraint in
headlocks with and without blinds at the feed barrier on feeding and
agonistic behaviour in horned and hornless goats. A total of 54
non-lactating dairy goats kept in 8 groups (4 horned, 4 hornless), was
tested with 4 variants of the feed barrier (blinds yes/no, restraint in
headlocks yes/no) in a 2 × 2-factorial design. Each variant was applied
to each group for 5–6 weeks with an animal-to-feeding-place ratio of
1:1. Agonistic interactions and feeding behaviour were observed during
the first hour after each of the two daily feed deliveries, and feeding
behaviour was recorded additionally from 0:00 h to 5:00 h (night-time
feeding). Data were analysed using generalised linear mixed-effects
models separately for horned and hornless goats.
In
horned goats, feeding duration was longer when goats were restrained in
headlocks during feeding than when they were unrestrained, and this
effect was reinforced with blinds present (restraining × blinds P = 0.01). Only when restrained, low-ranking goats fed nearly as long as high-ranking goats (restraining × rank index P < 0.0001).
Horned goats were feeding for a considerable amount of time during the
night; the lower the rank the more night-time feeding was observed (P = 0.002).
In hornless goats, feeding duration was also longer when goats were
restrained compared to being unrestrained, and this effect was largest
in low-ranking hornless goats (restraining × rank index P < 0.0001).
Blinds had no additional effect. Feeding during the night was observed
at a low level, and no significant effect of either rank or feed barrier
variants was found. Agonistic interactions with physical contact were
at a low level in horned goats when they had unrestrained access to feed
and when they were restrained with blinds, but agonistic interactions
were increased when horned goats were restrained without blinds (restraining × blinds P = 0.001).
In hornless goats, agonistic interactions with contact were reduced
only when being restrained with additional blinds present (restraining × blinds P < 0.001).
Neither variant of the feed barrier nor rank index significantly
affected body weight changes, regardless of horn status. In conclusion,
restraint enabled all individuals of a herd to feed immediately after
feed delivery. But when goats were restrained in the feed barrier,
blinds between adjacent feeding places were necessary to prevent
agonistic interactions with physical contact.
Keywords
- Feed barrier;
- Feeding duration;
- Agonistic behaviour;
- Goat;
- Dominance rank;
- Horns
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+41 44 632 71 70; fax: +41 44 632 11 28.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
