Human–Animal Interactions in Dairy Goats (original) (raw)
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This study aims at establishing suitable tests to measure the quality of the Human-Animal Relationship (HAR) in dairy goats for on-farm welfare assessment protocols by evaluating the predictive validity of different categories of HAR tests and their feasibility in on-farm condition. Twelve commercial dairy farms in Northern Italy were selected and classified as " good " (n = 6) and " poor " (n = 6) HAR on the basis of reports from a technical advisor. Some variables were tested to measure the HAR: sneezing – the number of alert sounds; voluntary approach (VA) test – in a stationary situation, the latency to the first contact by goat and the% of goats that entered in contact with the test person and within a 1.5 m radius around her were recorded, both continuously and at scan sample intervals; avoidance distance (AD) test – the avoidance distance from a moving and approaching person and the% of tested goats, of contacts with the test person followed by withdrawal or of acceptances of gentle stroke were recorded. The feasibility of each test was evaluated based on costs, time consumption, safety and training requirement. Sneezes were rarely and random expressed, so they do not seem suitable to be included in a protocol. Both Principal Component Analysis and One-way ANOVA confirmed the predictive validity of most of the variables, which were able to discriminate between " good " and " poor " HAR farms. Latency to first contact resulted valid (P = 0.01) and a high feasibility was reported. The indicator was easy to be recorded and the VA test could be stopped immediately after the first contact, saving time. Variables from the AD test resulted valid (% tested goats: P = 0.006; AD mean: P = 0.016; % contacts: P = 0.006; % acceptance: P = 0.003), although they were more time consuming or required a more specific training compared to latency to first contact. The correlation among variables seemed to support also a convergent validity of the tests used. The investigation pinpointed promising behavioural tests to be included into on-farm welfare assessment protocols in dairy goats. Taking into account species, test results and feasibility considerations, we suggest the inclusion of latency to the first contact with the test person into on-farm welfare assessment protocols. However, these results should be further tested in a larger number of farms of different dimensions, to overcome the limitations of this study due to the small sample size and to check the effect of farm size.
Humans and Goats: Improving Knowledge for a Better Relationship
Animals, 2022
There is consensus that the quality of the human–animal relationship (HAR) is relevant to guarantee appropriate levels of animal welfare. Given the impact that HAR may have on both goats and human beings, the aim of the present review is to elucidate: (1) how humans and goats communicate; (2) which are the factors affecting human–goat interactions; (3) how we can measure the quality of this relationship. The systematic review led to the selection of 58 relevant articles. Effective human–goat communication takes place by means of visual, tactile and auditory stimuli and, to a less extent, via olfactory and gustative stimuli. Goats have well-developed socio-cognitive abilities and rely on humans to get relevant information. A deep knowledge of goats’ communication means and socio-cognitive abilities may greatly help improving the human–goat relationship. Management practices (e.g., rearing methods, amount and quality of interactions), as well as genetic selection for suitable individu...
Health and Welfare Survey of 30 Dairy Goat Farms in the Midwestern United States
Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI, 2021
Simple Summary There appears to be a rapid expansion of dairy goat farming in the United States and the information available to producers on health, welfare, and production applicable to those in the Midwestern US is limited. This study intended 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. Pain relief for disbudding and castration, education and training programs, early kid management, and hoof trimming were identified as potential areas of future research. 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. Abstract 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...