Herd management and welfare assessment of dairy goat farms in Northern Cyprus by using breeding, health, reproduction, and biosecurity indicators

Molecular identification of Cryptosporidium species from domestic ruminants and wild reptiles in Cyprus

The presence of Cryptosporidium species in faecal samples of 32 sheep (Aries bovis), 10 goats (Capra circus), 1 blunt nose viper (Macrovipera lebetina lebetina), 3 Kotschy’s geckos (Mediodactylus kotschyi) and 6 wild stellagamas (Stellagama stellio cypriaca) in Cyprus were investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. Cryptosporidium species were found in 9/32 sheep, 5/10 goats, 2/3 Kotschy’s geckos and 2/6 stellagamas faecal samples based on the sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene. Subtyping was achieved based on the sequencing of the gp60 gene. Four different species have been identified: Cryptosporidium parvum in goats (subtype IIaA15G1R1), C. xiaoi (subtypes XXIIId and XXIIIl) and C. ubiquitum (subtype XIIa) in sheep and C. varanii and C. parvum in lizards; the viper snake sample was negative. This is the first report on the molecular identification of a variety of Cryptosporidium species from domestic ruminants and wild reptiles in the Republic of Cyprus.

A community-based intervention approach to control disease outbreaks and climate-related deaths in communally raised goat kids in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

A community-based intervention project was conducted, from April 2017 to March 2019, on 512 kids born from flocks of 30 purposively selected households located in ten villages within Alice district of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of combined efforts from the research team and farmers to control disease outbreaks and climate change-related deaths. A systematic dosing and fortnight dipping schedule was part of the intervention efforts made by the research team as well as supplying feed to pregnant and lactating does. Proper housing shelters were constructed and practicing hygiene measures were implemented. Veterinary assistance and medication were availed whenever there was a sick kid. Diseases and climate-related deaths were diagnosed based on clinical signs, laboratory results and relevant necropsy records. The current intervention program resulted to a decline in kid mortality rate (56.17% to 22.38%). Consistent access to veterinary services reduced the prevalence of Infectious diseases in year-2 (6.38%) as opposed to year-1 (14.89%). Climatic factors (11.92 vs 2.89%) became less prevalent due to better housing infrastructure while parasitic-related health problems showed a similar trend (9.79% vs 1.81%) after implementing a systematic dosing plan and fortnight dipping schedule. Death due to mechanical (7.66% vs 3.97%), reproductive (5.53% vs 3.25%) and nutritional (6.38% vs 2.53%)-related health problems also showed a slight decline. Even though the mortality rate was still above 20%, the documented improvement in kids' survival rate implies that the approach was a moderate success. An in-depth analysis with regard to affordability and effectiveness should be conducted to ensure consistent support.

Animal-Based Indicators for On-Farm Welfare Assessment in Goats

Simple Summary

Welfare assessments for animals require the use of specific indicators. These indicators should be practical and easy to use in an on-farm environment while correctly reflecting on the animals’ welfare. Our aim was to review literature on such indicators for goats, as small ruminants have not received as much attention as other farm animals in the field of welfare assessment. Some indicators such as lameness are already well investigated and suitable for use in goat welfare assessments. Others, for example, lying behaviour, need more research, as the limited amount of knowledge restrains the information on validity or usefulness. As in other animals, the welfare of goats has become an increasingly important issue in public discourse. Our overview on indicators aids in developing tools to measure and improve the welfare of goats.

Abstract

This review describes the current state of knowledge relating to scientific literature on welfare indicators for goats. Our aim was to provide an overview of animal-based indicators for on-farm welfare assessments. We performed a literature search and extracted 96 relevant articles by title, abstract, and full-text screening. Out of these articles, similar indicators were aggregated to result in a total of 32 welfare indicators, some of which were covered in multiple articles, others in only a single one. We discuss a set of three established assessment protocols containing these indicators, as well as all individual indicators which were covered in more than one article. As single indicators, we identified lameness, body condition score (BCS), qualitative behaviour assessment (QBA), and human–animal relationship (HAR) tests with substantial evidence for sufficient validity to assess welfare in goats. A multitude of indicators (e.g., hair coat condition) was studied less intensively but was successfully used for welfare assessments. For some indicators (e.g., oblivion, lying behaviour), we highlight the need for future research to further validate them or to optimise their use in on-farm welfare assessments. Moreover, further investigations need to include kids, bucks, and meat and fibre goats, as well as extensively kept goats as the literature predominantly focuses on dairy goats in intensive production systems.

Moving towards sustainable breeding objectives and cow welfare in dairy production: a South African perspective

Genetic advancements have resulted in improved dairy production over many decades, due to the focus of breeding objectives on production as the driving force for genetic progress and overall farm profitability. Major advancements were made in the easy-to-measure traits with moderate to high heritability, which resulted in unintended consequences on herd fertility, health, and welfare of cows. In addition, climate change and animal welfare concerns demanded balanced breeding objectives and selection approaches for sustainable production-including health and longevity. The inclusion of genomic information into genetic evaluations has been proved to benefit traits associated with welfare and sustainable production. Cow welfare traits remain complex and suitable phenotypes are not always easy to measure or readily available for genetic evaluations. The challenge for improvement of cow welfare often lies within implementation of sensitive and measurable parameters. The aim of this review was to explore the reconsideration of breeding objectives in the dairy industry towards sustainable dairy production and cow welfare with reference to selection of dairy animals in South Africa.

Health and Welfare Survey of 30 Dairy Goat Farms in the Midwestern United States

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 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. A questionnaire was developed and comprised 163 questions that were organized into categories including information on the producer (e.g., farming experience), staff, and goats (e.g., herd size, breed), housing, feeding and nutrition, milking practices and production, kid management, husbandry practices (e.g., disbudding, castration, hoof trimming), and health. Areas of future research that can improve goat health, production and welfare include pain relief for husbandry practices such as disbudding and castration, early kid management during birth to prevent illness/disease or mortality (e.g., warm and dry areas for kid rearing), eradication programs for common contagious diseases, training programs and education for claw trimming, disbudding, and udder health. In conclusion, 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.

Assessing dairy goat welfare in intensive or semi-intensive farming conditions in Mexico

We aimed to verify whether a low number of relevant animal-based indicators was able to discriminate 33 semi-intensive (grazing during the day and confinement during the night with access to an outdoor paddock; S-INT) and 8 intensive farms (permanent confinement with access to an outdoor paddock; INT) located in the Mexican semi-desert. In addition, we implemented the resource-based assessment scheme Animal Needs Index (ANI) with the identified animal-based indicators to compare the overall level of welfare in INT and S-INT. In particular, we used a protocol made up of 2 parts. The first comprised 4 evaluation sheets (locomotion, flooring, environment, management) and resource-based indicators derived from ANI, and the second one comprised a set of validated animal-based measures focusing on physical conditions and clinical signs of disease derived from the Animal Welfare Indicators scheme and reported in 2 additional sheets. The scoring system was also derived from ANI, with partial scores for each sheet to be summed to obtain the total score. A total of 1,116 dairy goats were assessed. All the observations and recordings were performed by an expert veterinarian evaluator assisted by an auxiliary, and longevity was retrieved from the farm records. The prevalence of animals displaying dirtiness, ocular discharge, abscesses, and claw overgrowth were higher in INT than in S-INT. Disbudding was routinely performed in INT only. Therefore, scurs, indicating improper disbudding, were recorded only in INT. In addition, the longevity of goats raised in S-INT was higher than in INT. Conversely, the prevalence of goats affected by anemia (i.e., FAMACHA scores >2) or lean (i.e., body condition score <2) tended to be higher in S-INT than in INT. No significant differences between the 2 groups of farms were detected for wounds, nasal discharge, integument alterations, fecal soiling, uterine prolapse, and subclinical mastitis. The results obtained using only animal-based measures were confirmed when resource-based variables were also included in the assessment, as 3 out of 6 sheets of the evaluation scheme (i.e., flooring, environment, and health-physical conditions) were scored higher in the S-INT than in the INT. As a consequence, the total score was also higher for S-INT than for INT. We conclude that the selected set of validated animal-based measures was able to discriminate between farms from different production systems. In particular, higher welfare levels were observed in S-INT farms, where the animals were allowed to spend most of the day on natural pasture, compared with INT farms, where the animals were constantly confined. Nevertheless, a certain degree of improvement should also be promoted in terms of anemia and body condition in S-INT farms.