The aim of this study was to determine whether sexually inexperienced females could display proceptivity and receptivity behaviours as the experienced in the first exposure to males. Three groups of females (n=9 each) were used: i) sexually inexperienced, ii) with complete sexual experience, and iii) with limited sexual experience. Three male goats were subjected to photoperiodic treatment for 2.5 months of long days to stimulate their sexual activity during the natural sexual rest (March-April). During anestrous season, females were exposed to photo-stimulated males. Sexual behaviours were recorded during the first three days post-introduction of the males into female groups, in two daily periods of 20 min each. Sexually inexperienced females and those with complete sexual experience showed higher tail wagging than those with limited sexual experience (P<0.001). Sexually inexperienced females displayed higher female-female sniffing and emission of urine than those groups with complete and limited sexual experience (P<0.001 and P<0.05, respectively). Females with limited sexual experience displayed higher female-female mounts than those groups inexperienced and with complete sexual experience (P<0.05). In addition, females with complete sexual experience displayed higher male-female sniffing than those groups inexperienced and with limited sexual experience (P0.05). We concluded that sexually inexperienced anestrous females display proceptivity and receptivity behaviours as those sexually experienced exposed to photo-stimulated males.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of maternal experience on behavior, progesterone and estradiol concentrations, weight and body condition in goats in the peripartum period, as well as the behavior and weight of the kids in the first hours after birth. Twenty multiparous and 10 primiparous dairy goats were enrolled. Behaviors such as walking, isolation, aggression, eating, inactivity and rumination were recorded in females during the last three days prior to the day of delivery, as well as the behaviors of the dam and her progeny in the first 2 h postpartum and the ability of the mother to discriminate between own kid and the alien one (selectivity test) at 2 h postpartum. Gestational and postpartum plasma progesterone and estradiol concentrations were determined. In the prepartum period there was a higher percentage of primiparous goats that were eating and remained less inactive compared to multiparous goats (p < 0.05). During the postpartum period, the lick latency to the kid was shorter in multiparous than in primiparous goats (p = 0.015). There was a greater proportion of kids born from multiparous (67%) than from primiparous (27%) that stood up in the first 30 min postpartum (p < 0.0001). Therefore, the proportion of multiparous kids (33%) than primiparous kids (9%) that were nursed within the first hour after birth was also higher (p < 0.0001). Progesterone and estradiol concentrations were not affected by maternal experience, neither in the prepartum nor the postpartum. In conclusion, maternal experience affected some behaviors at peripartum of the dam and vitality in the kid; however, the differences in behavior were not accompanied by differences in the variations in circulating estradiol and progesterone levels in the dam.

This study aimed to examine the physiological, biochemical, and behavioral responses of primiparous and multiparous goats during peripartum, as well as their relationship with the discomfort caused by parturition. Eleven primiparous and 10 multiparous dairy goats maintained under intensive conditions were used in this study. Goat behavior was monitored immediately before and during expulsion phase. The behavior of the mother and kid was recorded during the first 2 h postpartum. In the three stages of parturition, the intensity of maternal vocalizations, changes in facial Grimace scale, and blood samples to determine the cortisol, estradiol, and protein concentrations were determined. The weight of the kids and litter size were also considered. Primiparous goats took longer to expel the kid than did multiparous goats (P = 0.04). A negative correlation was found between cortisol concentration and maternal motivation score at 12 and 8 days prepartum (P ? 0.06), as well as at 24 and 48 h postpartum (P ? 0.05). Cortisol concentrations at 4 h postpartum were negatively correlated with the latency of the first lick to the kid (P = 0.01). The latency to suckle was shorter in twin births than in single births kids (P = 0.02). Single birth kids weighed more than twin births kids (P = 0.004). The duration of the first grooming of the kid was shorter in the heavier than in the lighter kids (P = 0.028). The intensity of the vocalizations emitted by the mother in the pre-birth period was greater in the births of heavy offsprings than in those of light offsprings (P = 0.032). The expulsion phase was affected only in primiparous goats. Regardless of parity, cortisol and estradiol concentrations were elevated during parturition; the facial Grimace score and the intensity of vocalizations were greater in the expulsive and postpartum phases.

Introduction: Goats are gregarious animals with a social organization differentiated by their stratification into defined social ranks. Relatively little is known about whether these social relationships affect the behavioral activity of mothers and offspring during lactation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of social hierarchy in primiparous and multiparous goats on nursing behavior during lactation. Methods: Forty-seven multiparous and 25 primiparous French Alpine and Toggenburg goats were used. They were weighed, their body condition was evaluated during the second half of pregnancy and lactation, and the weights of their kids were measured during two months of age. To evaluate the hierarchy, a success index was calculated by recording the antagonistic interactions between animals in the second and last weeks of lactation. Furthermore nursing activities were recorded approximately 14 days postpartum and weekly until day 55 of lactation. The following behaviors were recorded: frequency of nursing episodes, episodes in which the mother accepted or rejected, and the duration of each nursing episode. Results: Both primiparous and multiparous goats had the highest percentage at the medium dominance level (65%). This was significantly higher than those at the low dominance level (20%) and the high dominance level (15%, P< 0.001). Body weight and body condition scores were higher in goats with a high dominance than in those with a medium or low social hierarchy (P< 0.05). The body weights of the kids were not affected by the dominance of their mothers (P > 0.05). There were no differences among the three dominance levels in the duration of episodes, episodes accepted or rejected, or the number of total nursing episodes observed during lactation (P > 0.5). Conclusion: Regardless of parity, the maternal hierarchy level significantly affected productive parameters in goats, but not offspring growth or nursing behavior during lactation.

Objective. The nutritional potential of maize´s Puma hybrids was evaluated as silage forage in 50% of the pregnant ewe’s diet. Materials and methods. Sixty-one pregnant ewes were used, assigned to the groups: Centli Puma (N = 21), Tsiri Puma (N = 20) and Tlaoli Puma (N = 20) and their weight, body condition (CC), FAMACHA and metabolic profile in gestation were measured, as well as milk production and quality at 15 and 30 days of lactation. In lambs, birth temperature and weight were measured. Results. The weight and CC of the ewes during pregnancy and lactation were not affected by the group (p>0.05). On the other hand, the estimated feed intake was higher in the ewes of the Centli group (p<0.0001), while the FAMACHA values were better in the Centli and Tlaoli groups (p0.05). Neither did the weight of the lambs and their body temperature vary among the three groups (p>0.05). Conclusions. The use of Puma corn hybrid silages developed for grain production has good and similar response in the productive and metabolic parameters of sheep, as well in the lambs.

No studies have induced maternal behavior in goats through hormonal treatment. We evaluated whether ovariectomized goats treated with estradiol benzoate (EB2; n = 7 nulliparous and 10 multiparous goats) or progesterone + estradiol benzoate (P4 + EB2; n = 7 nulliparous and 7 multiparous goats), before or after vagino-cervical stimulation (VCS), displayed maternal behavior. When all goats were measured within treatments, in the EB2 group, low-pitch bleats were more frequent, and the time spent cleaning the kids was longer after VCS (p < 0.01), while location changes were more frequent before VCS. In nulliparous goats, those in the EB2 group emitted more low-pitch bleats after VCS than before (p = 0.04). The frequency of location changes was higher before VCS than after (p = 0.05). In multiparous goats, the frequency of smelling the kids and aggression toward the kids before VCS was higher in the EB2 group than in the P4 + EB2 group (p < 0.01). Within treatments, the EB2 group emitted more low-pitch bleats after VCS than before (p = 0.01), and the duration of cleaning the kids was longer after VCS than before (p = 0.028). Within the P4 + EB2 group, the kids were smelled more frequently after VCS than before (p = 0.03). The maternal index after vagino-cervical stimulation was higher in goats with EB2 (p = 0.002). Nulliparous goats treated with P4 + EB2 had a higher maternal index compared with those treated with EB2 alone (p = 0.04). In conclusion, regardless of parity, maternal behavior induced with the EB2 treatment was better when VCS was applied. Likewise, maternal experience altered the response. In multiparous females, any of the treatments were better after VCS, while in nulliparous females, this was only evident with the EB2 treatment.