INFLUENCE OF FORCED CONTACT ON THE MATERNAL-FILIAL BOND IN THE DOMESTIC GOAT AFTER DIFFERENT PERIODS OF POSTPARTUM SEPARATION

Twenty multiparous does of Murciano-Granadina breed were separated fro m their offspring immediately after birth, there being no contact what soever between mother and kid (ten goats remained separated from their kids for 30 min and the remaining ten for 1 h). After this period mot hers and kids were reunited in a 8 m x 4 m barn, where three tests wer e done to determine the maternal behaviour of the mother. Mothers and kids were forced to remain together in a fenced plot of 1.5 m x 1.5 m for 24h. After this, the same three tests were repeated. Results obtai ned showed that all mothers that had been separated for 30 min showed a certain degree of maternality in the tests done before the forced co ntact. These same goats increased their maternality after the forced r eunion (Test 1: chi(2) = 14.0, P < 0.001; Test 3: chi(2) = 16.4, P < 0 .001), In contrast, those goats that had been separated from their off spring for 1h lost their maternality. Nevertheless, after 24h of force d reunion 50% of the goats observed recovered their lost maternality ( Test 1, Test 2 and Test 3: chi(2) = 6.7, P < 0.05). In a second experi ment, 30 multiparous goats of Murciano-Granadina breed were separated from their offspring after having remained together for 5 min after bi rth (ten goats remained separated for 1h, another ten goats for 8 h an d the remaining ten for 24h). Once the separation period was over, eac h goat, together with its kid, was placed in an 8 m x 4 m barn where t hree tests were done to determine maternality. Mothers and kids were f orced to stay together for 24h in a 1.5 m x 1.5 m barn. The same three tests were repeated after this 24h forced reunion. Results indicated that those mothers separated for 1h and 8h behaved maternally towards their offspring after these separation periods. These same goats incre ased their maternality after the 24h forced reunion (Test 1 and Test 3 : chi(2) = 12.5, P < 0.01). Nevertheless, not all of the goats that we re separated from their offspring for 24h behaved maternally after the separation or after the forced reunion period.