Tölü Cemil, Göktürk Semra, Sava Türker
Department of Animal Science, Agriculture Faculty, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale 17020, Turkey.
Çanakkale Sheep and Goat Breeders Association, Çanakkale 17000, Turkey.
Asian-Australas J Anim Sci. 2016 Jun;29(6):879-86. doi: 10.5713/ajas.15.0597. Epub 2015 Sep 24.
As is in all economic activities, the highest yield per unit area is the main goal in animal production, while addressing the temperamental needs of animals often is ignored. Animal welfare is not only an ethical fact; it also has an economic value. Spatial environmental enrichment contributes positively to animal welfare by addressing their behavioral and mental requirements. The present study was conducted to determine the effects of weaning and spatial environmental arrangements on behaviors of goat-kids. Experimental groups were arranged in structured and unstructured spatial environments. Roughage feeder, semi-automatic concentrate feeder, bunk, bridge, and wood block were placed in the structured environment. No equipment was placed in the unstructured environment and paddock sides were enclosed with an iron sheet to prevent bipedal stance and to provide environmental isolation. In the study 10 male and 10 female Turkish Saanen goat kids were used in each group. Spatial environmental arrangements did not have significant impacts on the growth performance of kids (p>0.05). All objects in the structured group were accepted by the kids. Average use ratios of roughage feeder, semi-automatic concentrate feeder, bunk, bridge and wood block were observed as 19.3%, 14.0%, 12.6%, 3.8%, and 0.7%, respectively. There were significant differences between before- and after-weaning in use of all objects except for underneath bridge (p≤0.05). Concentrate feed consumption, locomotion, and resting behaviors in kids showed significant differences by structural group and growth period. Roughage consumption was similar between groups, while it differed by growth period (p≤0.05). Interaction frequency was significantly higher in structured group (p = 0.0023). Playing behavior significantly differentiated based on the growth period rather than on groups (p≤0.05). Playing behavior significantly decreased after weaning. Abnormal oral activity was significantly higher in the structured group before weaning (p≤0.05). Despite there being no installations facilitating climbing and bipedal stance, the kids of the unstructured group were able to exhibit 1/3 as much bipedal stance behavior as the kids of the structured group through leaning over slippery paddock wall or over their groupmates. Bipedal stance behavior of unstructured group was similar before and after weaning, while bipedal stance behavior before weaning was about 2 times that of after weaning in structured group. It was concluded that unstructured environmental arrangement limited the behavior repertoire of the goat kids.
与所有经济活动一样，单位面积的最高产量是畜牧生产的主要目标，而动物的性情需求往往被忽视。动物福利不仅是一个伦理事实，它还具有经济价值。空间环境丰富化通过满足动物的行为和心理需求，对动物福利有积极贡献。本研究旨在确定断奶和空间环境布置对山羊幼崽行为的影响。实验组被安排在结构化和非结构化的空间环境中。在结构化环境中放置了粗饲料槽、半自动精饲料槽、畜床、桥和木块。非结构化环境中未放置任何设备，围场周边用铁皮围住，以防止山羊双足站立并提供环境隔离。本研究每组使用10只雄性和10只雌性土耳其萨能山羊幼崽。空间环境布置对幼崽的生长性能没有显著影响（p>0.05）。结构化组中的所有物品都被幼崽接受。粗饲料槽、半自动精饲料槽、畜床、桥和木块的平均使用比例分别为19.3%、14.0%、12.6%、3.8%和0.7%。除桥下区域外，所有物品在断奶前后的使用情况存在显著差异（p≤0.05）。幼崽的精饲料消耗、运动和休息行为在结构组和生长阶段之间存在显著差异。各组之间的粗饲料消耗相似，但在生长阶段有所不同（p≤0.05）。结构化组的互动频率显著更高（p = 0.0023）。玩耍行为主要基于生长阶段而非组间存在显著差异（p≤0.05）。断奶后玩耍行为显著减少。断奶前结构化组的异常口腔活动显著更高（p≤0.05）。尽管没有便于攀爬和双足站立的设施，但非结构化组的幼崽通过靠在光滑的围场墙上或同伴身上，能够表现出结构化组幼崽三分之一的双足站立行为。非结构化组断奶前后的双足站立行为相似，而结构化组断奶前的双足站立行为约为断奶后的两倍。研究得出结论，非结构化的环境布置限制了山羊幼崽的行为表现。
