Rearing goat kids away from their dams 2. Understanding farmers' views on changing management practices.

Animal

Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, University of Dalhousie, Truro, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Published: June 2022

Improving animal welfare is an important aim of livestock industries and is dependent on human management. Understanding attitudes to change and perceived barriers is therefore a key consideration for welfare scientists. A survey that aimed to investigate farmers' attitudes towards changing goat kid-rearing practices was distributed. Likert scales examined willingness to change and the importance of factors in decision-making alongside open-text responses for further explanation. A total of 242 farmers (United States of America (USA) 72; United Kingdom (UK) 71; Australia 33; Canada 23; New Zealand 20; European Union 14; Other 9) rearing goat kids away from their dams responded. All respondents rated from one (highly unwilling) to seven (highly willing), how willing they would be to supply three enrichment types. Willingness to provide enrichments differed (χ(2) = 190.114,P < 0.001), with farmers most likely to provide climbing or loose items rather than swinging items. The most common reasons cited for unwillingness to provide enrichment were related to safety (101 responses/76.5%). Those currently abruptly weaning were asked how willing they would be to use gradual weaning methods. Those abruptly weaning from ad libitum milk systems (n = 47) showed no difference in willingness to change to different gradual weaning methods; the median (Interquartile Range (IQR)) for the willingness to change to removing teats was 2 (1-4), reducing milk temperature 3 (1-5) and diluting milk 2 (1-5), with most concerns relating to feasibility. Those abruptly weaning from bottle feeding (n = 18) also showed no difference in willingness to change to gradual weaning methods. Median (IQR) score for willingness to change to reduced number of bottle feeds was 4 (1-7), reducing milk quantity 3 (1-6.25), and diluting milk 1 (1-5), respectively. Health concerns were the most common reason for not being willing to change. All 242 respondents were asked to rate how important different factors are when deciding to implement a new management practice. There was a significant difference in importance between factors (χ(2) = 34.779, P < 0.001). Median (IQR) importance of the factors was labour/time 5 (4-7), cost 5 (4-7), evidence beneficial to welfare 6 (5-7), evidence beneficial to health 6 (5-7), and evidence beneficial to growth 6 (4-7). To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine goat farmers' attitudes towards changing management practices and could help ensure that future research addresses farmer concerns and therefore has the best opportunity to be implemented on-farm.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.animal.2022.100548DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

rearing goat
8
goat kids
8
kids dams
8
dams understanding
4
understanding farmers'
4
farmers' views
4
views changing
4
changing management
4
management practices
4
practices improving
4

Similar Publications

Article Synopsis
  • Mayotte, a small tropical island in the Comoros, has become a French department but relies heavily on imported food, highlighting the need for local livestock farming development.
  • Interviews with 15 farmers revealed major challenges, including limited land access for raising animals, water scarcity, and inadequate road infrastructure impacting farm operations.
  • Additional obstacles include dependence on imported animal feed and livestock, lack of organized local food systems, and financial constraints; while animal health issues are present, farmers tend to favor traditional medicine over seeking veterinary care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: () is a widespread intracellular fungi that poses a significant zoonotic threat due to its infectivity toward both humans and animals.

Methods: To evaluate the zoonotic transmission potential of this fungi, a molecular investigation was undertaken on in cattle and goats reared across multiple cities in Zhejiang Province, China. A total of 651 fresh samples were collected, consisting of 265 cattle and 386 goats.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The Western Ghat region of Kerala has rich biodiversity that supports tick populations, which carry the Kyasanur Forest Disease virus (KFDV), known to cause hemorrhagic fever or "monkey fever."
  • Tick infestations are common in local livestock, as these animals often graze in nearby forests, leading to increased risk of farmers contracting tick-borne diseases.
  • While KFDV is widespread, data on other related viruses like CCHFV and GANV is limited, though a small percentage of livestock showed CCHFV exposure, indicating the need for further research and surveillance to identify disease hotspots.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the safety and efficacy of a preparation of CNCM I-1077 as a zootechnical feed additive for several animal species. The additive, existing in a not-coated and a coated form, is currently authorised for use in feed for calves, cattle for fattening, dairy cows, dairy goats and dairy sheep, lambs, all minor ruminant species for fattening and rearing, horses and camelids for fattening and rearing. This application regards the request for the extension of use in all ruminants and camelids reared for milk production/suckling/reproduction, all minor (young) ruminant species and camelids for fattening and Equidae other than horses, and the modification of the authorisation for lambs to reduce the minimum use level.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!