4/2/2023 0 Comments Caprine nipples![]() It is however interesting to notice that the preference for water nipples was not more pronounced in the two groups that experienced the worst water quality. This poor water quality is probably the main reason for the goats' preference for water nipples. Turbidity was higher in the water bowls than what is accepted in human drinking water (< 4 FNU) and also heterotrophy germs at 22☌ was higher in the water bowls than recommended (< 100 CFU/ml). Īs predicted, the water quality from the water bowls was clearly inferior to water nipples, which is in accordance with previous findings in pigs. ![]() Still, this is less likely with only seven animals per group, as previous experiments with goats showed that only when increasing the number of animals per water nipple to more than 15, the queuing and displacements increased. The water nipple and the water bowl were positioned quite near to each other, which may have triggered social competition, and thus forced individuals with low social rank to drink from another type of water dispenser than they originally preferred. Still, the results should be interpreted with caution. However, since the goats had been exposed to water bowls in the whole grazing season and water nipples in the current indoor feeding period, and the water intake was equal on water nipples and water bowls in period 1 and 2, it seems reasonable to assume that order of introduction of water dispensers did not have a major influence the results. Ideally, the water nipple and water bowl should have been introduced in randomised order in period 1 and 2, and hence carry-over effects cannot be eliminated. ![]() This is in accordance with many previous preference tests that show large differences between individuals. Also when exploring individual preferences, data revealed that some goats preferred water nipples and some preferred water bowls, also within the same groups. The preference for water nipples was however not uniform and total, in that two groups actually showed a preference for water bowls and even in the remaining groups apparently preferring water nipples, a considerable proportion of the water intake was from the water bowl. Based on previous studies in sheep and pigs, we predicted that goats would prefer to drink from water nipples and that the water quality will be worse in water bowls.Īs predicted, the goats showed an overall preference for drinking from the water nipples, which is in accordance with previous studies on pigs and sheep. The aim of the present study was to examine the preference in dairy goats for water nipples or water bowls. High amounts of water wastage will increase the water usage, impair the quality of the lying surface in pens with bedding and increase the necessary volume of manure storage. The amount of water wastage from nipples can be somewhat reduced by adjusting the nipple heights to the shoulder height of the pigs and by reducing the flow rate. Water wastage seems to be much higher on nipple drinkers than on different types of water bowls both in pigs and in sheep. To our knowledge, there is at present no data on preference for type of water dispenser in goats, but a survey of Norwegian goat herds showed that use of water bowls had a negative effect on both somatic cell count and bacterial count in the goat milk. Brooks and Carpenter (1989) found that in weaned piglets, the water intake from bowls declined when the water became fouled with feed or feces. The water quality seems to be important for the lower intake from water bowls, and both Bøe (1984) and Bøe and Kjelvik (2011) reported a clear reduction in water quality in water bowls. However, both in pigs and in sheep the water intake was higher from nipple drinkers than from water bowls. Previous studies have reported that the design of the water dispensers can influence the water intake, and many farm animals species seem to prefer to drink from a water source with a large and open surface (horses: cows: ). (2010) measured the water intake in lactating goats to be 6.2 and 4.4 liters/day when fed hay and silage, respectively. In temperate climates, the water intake for goats is reported to be 139 g/kg W 0.75 at mid-pregnancy, and lactating goats need 1.28 kg of water to produce one kg milk. The literature on water intake in goats is scare, and the studies mainly concern goats living in desert conditions under heat stress and/or water restrictions.
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