Outside enclosure and additional enrichment for dairy goats--a preliminary study.

Background: Dairy goats are commonly housed at a space allowance of 0.7-0.8 m²/goat in commercial Norwegian goat herds, which is very low compared to regulations and recommendations in other European countries.

The preference for water nipples vs. water bowls in dairy goats.

Background: Previous studies have reported that the design of the water dispensers can influence the water intake in farm animals. Horses and dairy cows seem to prefer to drink from an open surface whereas sheep and pigs apparently prefer water nipples, probably because of the worse water quality in water bowls. The aim of the present study was to examine the preference of dairy goats for water nipples or water bowls.