Social hierarchy in the domestic goat: effect on food habits and production

Outside the scientific world, the effect of social behaviour on production is little taken into account, but the importance of this relationship has b een sufficiently proven in some animal species. Nevertheless, there are sca rce works that emphasise the importance of behaviour in the production of t he goat. The main objective of this paper is to determine if there is a sta ble hierarchy of dominance in a flock of goats fed in pasture, and if this hierarchy influences somehow the diet selected in the pasture and in its pr oduction of milk and meat. The study was carried out in a flock of goats in semi-extensive grazing management. The interactions observed in the pastur e during the supplementary feeding and during the milking were written down . This allowed us to determine the dominance rank. The diet was determined in the pasture by the direct observation method. The production of milk was measured daily. The meat production consisted on the weight of the kids in their first day of life and after a month. Among the most prominent result s, the following should be indicated: (a) Within the herd, a clearly establ ished, quite stable and linear hierarchic order exists. (b) The most aggres sive animals are those that occupy the highest positions within the social hierarchy. (c) Age, large size and horns seem to be the physical factors th at most favor dominance. (d) When more forage becomes available, difference s appear in the diet chosen by dominant and subordinate animals, that is, t hey become more selective. In the months of greater shortage, these differe nces in feeding disappear, and they become more generalist. (e) The product ion of animals is affected by dominance. However, contrary to what might ot herwise be thought, it is the middle range of goats that are the most produ ctive. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.