unit sheep and goat behavior

small ruminant production sheep and goat production

1. SHEEP AND GOAT BEHAVIOR Course : Small ruminant production Lecture: sheep and goat behavior by Dr abdirashid ahmed

2. SHEEP AND GOAT BEHAVIOR

3. INTRODUCTION  Behavior is the reaction of an animals (Sheep & Goat) to a certain stimulus or the manner in which it interacts with its environments. i s the study in the animal’s o f ani m al natural  Ethology behaviour habits.

4. TYPES OF BEHAVIOR Feeding behavior. Social behavior. Sexual behavior. Parental behavior. Drinking and excretory behavior. Exploratory behavior. Conflict behavior. Sleep behavior. Aggression and fear behavior etc.

5. FE E DIN G BEH A VIOU R IN G O A T S Goats are natural browsers, preferring to eat leaves, twigs, vines and shrubs. They are very agile and will stand on their hind legs to reach vegetation. Goats likes to eat the tops of plants. Goats will not eat mouldy or musty feed and generally avoid poisonous plants unless they are wilted and then are more palatable.

6. Sheep are grazers, preferring to eat short, tender grasses and clover. Their dietary preference is forbs ( broad leaf weeds ) and they like to graze close to the soil surface. FEEDING BEHAVIOUR IN SHEEP

7. SOCIAL BEHAVIOR  Social behavior is also called behavior of association.  Sheep a n d goats are together in asso ci a ted groups. Sheep and goats are move in groups tend to follow a leader. The leader of the herd is very strong, aggressive and able to offer some protection to some members of the group.

8. DRINKING BEHAVIOR The drinking behavior of a animal is influenced by the part of the brain called the hypothalamus. Sheep and goat usually drink water 1-5 times a day. Sheep and goat on an average require 2-10 litres per day for drinking. Daily water consumption depends on the following factors:- Body size of the animal. Physiological condition. 3.Season. 4. Nature of feed etc.

9. SEXUAL BEHAVIOR Essentially, the behavioral manifestation of sex depends upon the action of sex hormones on the central nervous system. Some characters of the sexual behavior: - Nosing & smelling of the female’s vulva by male’s. Flicking out of the tongue. Low –pitched bleating sounds. Butting of the female’s hindquarters. False mounting attempts. Female animals are not always passive in courtship .For example, the ewe actively solicits the ram by nuzzling his flank or scrotum.

10. PARENTAL BEHAVIOR Parental behavior is well shown by mother- offspring relationship. They seek remote or hidden places for giving birth. After birth, the sheep and goat may spend some time grooming and cleaning amniotic fluid from the newborn. Assisting the young ones to suckle. This may be done by lying down or adopting a suitable orientation that enables the newborn to locate the teat.

11. SLEEP BEHAVIOR Sleeping habits vary in different animal species. The purpose of sleep and rest is to restore the body . Like mating and feeding behavior. Sheep and goats sleep for about 8 hours and are awake for about 16 hours a day. Sheep and goats sleep in a sitting position.

12. COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOR Communication exists when some type of information is exchanged between individual animals. This may occur with the transfer of information through any of the senses. A distress call, involving a different type of sound, occurs from either the female or her young when they become separated. Young animals cry for help when disturbed or distressed:- lambs bleat. Adult animals call for help when under stress.

13. CLIMBING AND MOULDING BEHAVIOR Goats are remarkable in their ability to climb and can move safety along narrow mountain path to graze among the rocks . This ability can be a problem in farming as goats will climb fence stay to jump over, so electric fencing is necessary to run goats, especially at the high stocking rates needed to make them eat weeds. Goats will also mould holes below fences to escape.

14. EXCRETORY BEHAVIOR Excretory behavior is also called eliminative behavior. Excretory behavior refers to the pattern of behavior connected with the evacuation of faeces or urine from the body. The amount of material evacuated and the number of times, it is eliminated, depends on the amount of food eaten, the type of food, the temperature of the surroundings, and the animal itself. Animals defecate and urinate more when stress or excited.

15. EXPLORATORY BEHAVIOR  Exploratory behavior i s the type of behavior in which the animal searches an object in its surrounding to satisfy its curiosity. Exploratory behavior is usually investigative. Exploratory behavior appears to be increased by strangeness of the environment, and by its spaciousness and complexity. Exploratory behavior enables an animal to learn about its environment.

16. SHELTER SEEKING BEHAVIOR Animals crowd together in snow and cold winds. Animals seek shelter to trees when it rains. Sheep and goat seek shady area for rest and rumination if weather is hot. In extreme situation animals pile-up to the extent that some get smother.

17. CONFLICT BEHAVIOR opposition(conflict)  Co n flict b e ha v ior is the b etween behavioral tendencies. The dominant buck is aggressive during the breeding season. Sheep and goats are establish a dominance hierarchy in flocks, sometimes through head butting. This reason, animals of similar age should be grouped together so that bullying will be reduced.

18. LEARNING BEHAVIOR Learning is the process which produces change in individual behavior as the result of experience. The factor include the age of the animal, its environment, rewards associated with learning, as well as constraints on learning. Younger animals are more susceptible to learning than are the adult animals. Farm animals respond to calls or whistles of the producer.

19. AGGRESSION AND FEAR Animal aggression is the tendency of one animal to want to inflict damage on another animal, or the tendency to initiate vigorous conflict. The dominant buck is aggressive during the breeding season. Dominant animals are inclined to be more aggressive with other animals and usually feed first at trough. Factors which affect aggression:- Hormones, Experience, Appetitive behavior, External factors.

20. ANOMALOUS BEHAVIOR Anomalous behavior is any behavior which is a variant of a normal activity, displayed abnormally, e.g.- excessive self-grooming. Anomalous sexual behavior in male animals includes excessive libido, reduced sex drive etc. Anomalous behaviour may be regarded as abnormal or irregular behaviour.

21. BEHAVIOR DURING HANDLING AND RESTRAINT Most animals are handled and restrained several times during their lifetime. Ease of handling depends largely on the animals’ temperament, size and previous experience and the design of the handling facilities. Un d erstanding a n imals behavior can assist in preventing injury, undue stress and physical exertion for both animals and producers.

22. MANAGEMENT OF BEHAVIOR  1. Giving training to regulate behavior.  2. Control by maneuvering the animals by anticipation of their behavior.  3.The use of physical force.  4. By use of mechanical disadvantages.  5. By the use of drugs etc.

23. CONCLUSION Animal(sheep & goat )behavior results from the interaction between stimuli in an animals internal and external environments. Knowledge of animal behaviour will help producer to be more efficient in managing livestock enterprises which will be safer and more production. Animals also change their behaviour from season to season, mainly as a person to change in weather condition. Pattern of animals behaviour is determined chiefly by heredity but it also can be modified by training and learning.