Climbing behaviour in lactating dairy goats

The use of a raised platform

Authors

  • G. Zobel AgResearch Ltd., Animal Welfare Team, Hamilton, 3213, New Zealand
  • H. Neave Animal Welfare Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
  • J. Webster AgResearch Ltd., Animal Welfare Team, Hamilton, 3213, New Zealand

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro20173397

Keywords:

goats, animal behaviour, behavior, animal welfare, enrichment, platform, social dynamics, dairy goats

Abstract

Providing opportunities for the expression of natural behavior is an important component of good animal welfare. In a natural setting, goats readily climb; however, the extent to which naive commercial dairy goats express this behavior is not known. This study aimed to determine the time lactating dairy goats, naive to raised surfaces, would spend on a raised platform when given the opportunity.

Cover image of the 50th Conference Proceedings: Text of "AABP Annual Conference" with the AABP logo superimposed over an interlocking 50. Yellow background.

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Published

2017-09-14

Issue

2017

Section

AASRP Research Summaries