Search Behavior in Goat (Capra hircus) Kids From Mothers Kept at Different Animal Densities Throughout Pregnancy

A novel regulatory sex-skewing method that inhibits testicular DPY30 expression to increase female rate of dairy goat offspring

The demand for goat milk products has increased exponentially with the growth of the global population. The shortage of dairy products will be addressed extraordinarily by manipulating the female rate of goat offspring to expand the goat population and goat milk yield. No studies have reported bioinformatic analyses of X- and Y-bearing sperm of dairy goats, although this will contribute to exploring novel and applied sex-skewing technologies. Regulatory subunit of the histone methyltransferase complex (DPY30) was determined to be the key differentially expressed protein (DEP) among 15 DEPs identified in the present study. The spatiotemporal expression of DPY30 strongly suggested a functional involvement of the protein in spermatogenesis. DPY30 promoted meiosis via upregulating SYCP3, which played a crucial role in mediating sex ratio skewing in goats. Although DPY30 suppressed the self-renewal of spermatogonia stem cells through AKT/PLZF, DPY30 inhibition in the testis did not induce testicular dysgenesis. Based on the biosafety assessment in mice testes, lentivirus-mediated DPY30 knockdown in bucks' testes increased X-bearing sperm proportion and female kids' rate (22.8 percentage points) without affecting sperm quality, pregnancy rate, and kidding rate. This study provides the first evidence of the DEGs in the sexed sperm of dairy goats. DPY30 inhibition in the testes of bucks increased the female kids' rate without influencing reproductive performance. The present study provides evidence for expanding the female dairy goat population to address the concern of dairy product shortage.

Stocking density, ambient temperature, and group size affectsocial behavior, productivity and reproductivity of goats- A review

The stocking density (animal/area, SD) is one of the significant factors that influence the welfare and performance of animals. However, there are discrepancies in the recommended SD for fiber, meat, and dairy goats, which means farming practices and welfare standards for goats should be better defined. Therefore, this review article sheds light on 1) some differences between goats and sheep. 2) the geographical distribution of fiber, meat type, and dairy goat populations. 3) effects of interaction between SD and group size on social, feeding, and aggressive behaviors. 4) the effects of SD on meat and milk production. 5) the relationship between SD and reproductive performance. In conclusion, the larger space allowance with access to an outdoor yard can improve species-specific behaviors and meat and milk yield. Moreover, goats are more sensitive to high SD (less than 3 m²/ goat), especially during the last stage of the gestation period. Allowing optimal floor space for each breed is important to avoid the undesired behavioral response. Conclusively, improving the housing aspects, including floor space and enrichment tools, would assist in implementing welfare-economic production standards for goats.

Horses Solve Visible but Not Invisible Displacement Tasks in an Object Permanence Paradigm

A key question in the field of animal cognition is how animals comprehend their physical world. Object permanence is one of the fundamental features of physical cognition. It is the ability to reason about hidden objects and to mentally reconstruct their invisible displacements. This cognitive skill has been studied in a wide range of species but never directly in the horse (Equus caballus). In this study, we therefore assessed the understanding of visible and invisible displacements in adult Welsh mares in two complementary experiments, using different horses. In experiment 1, visible displacement was investigated using two tasks adapted from the Uzgiris and Hunt scale 1. Invisible displacement was assessed using a transposition task, in which food was first hidden in one of two containers and the location of the containers was then switched. In experiment 2, we further investigated horses’ understanding of visible and invisible displacements using an easier procedure designed to avoid potentially confounding factors. In both experiments, horses successfully completed the tasks involving visible displacement with two or three possible hiding places. However, in both experiments, horses failed the transposition tasks, suggesting that they may not be able to track the displacement of an object that is not directly perceived (i.e., invisible displacement). These results bring new insights into object permanence in horses and how they represent their physical world.