Effect of weaning on behavior and serum parameters in dairy goat kids

This study aimed at investigating the effects of weaning kids abruptly at an average of 55 ± 13 days of age on intake, behavioral and serum parameters and, lasted for a total of six weeks; two weeks pre-weaning and four weeks post-weaning. Sixteen single kids with equal gender were used. Kids were only allowed to stay with their mothers for suckling (45 min/period) both in the morning and in the evening period during pre-weaning. Grower concentrate and hay were offered ad libitum . The duration of the study was divided into three periods for the sampling of behavioral and serum parameters; (i) pre-weaning period lasting for two weeks (P-BW) (ii) early post-weaning period lasting for one week (P-AW1) and (iii) late post-weaning period lasting for three weeks (P-AW2). Daily weight gain of kids gradually decreased as the observation period progressed ( P  = 0.001). However concentrate feed intake increased from 0.154 kg/day in P-BW to 0.479 kg/day in P-AW1 and 0.499 kg/day in P-AW2. Water intake, rumination and standing behaviors decreased in P-AW2 ( P  < 0.001), whereas activity towards concentrate feed (CF) ( P  < 0.001) and roughage ( P  = 0.012) increased as compared to P-BW and P-AW1. Abnormal oral activity was not affected by the periods ( P  = 0.906). CF was significantly higher in females ( P  = 0.003), whereas males displayed higher lying behavior ( P  = 0.007). Glucose, total protein, urea, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol concentrations ( P  = 0.001) and ALP activity ( P  = 0.003) were significantly affected by the periods. The results of the present study suggest that behavioral and serum parameters across the periods describe changes in the nutritional conditions as a result of the transition from milk to solid feed in association with weaning.