Effect of spatial environmental enrichment on behaviour, health and performance of goat kids

The efforts for the welfare of animals, has coined the term "environmental enrichment". In this research the influence of the enlargement of environmental conditions using different equipments on behavior, health and performance characteristics of goat kids were studied. A total of 40 (20 ?, 20 ?) goat kids were divided into two groups. The paddock of the environmentally enriched group (R) was with a rough manger, a semi-automatic feeding trough, a two-storey platform, a "bridge" and one wood block equipped. The environmentally poor group (P) kids were keeping in a paddock with no climbing opportunities. No significant differences were found between the groups in terms of live weight, roughage and concentrate feed intake. But the concentrate feed intake behavior of the R-group showed a higher incidence (P = 0,0040). Although the paddock of the P-group was disposes without climbing possibilities, the goat kids showed bipedal stance behavior in a 1/3 scale of the R-group (P<0,0001). The frequency of interactions between the group companions, usually aggressive behavior, was in the R-group significantly higher (P=0,0023). All objects in the R-group paddock were used by the kids. The highest use rate was found on the two-storey platform. The hormone levels after the social isolation test of the Kids pointed to an acute stress. The hormone levels during the weaning was different from the hormone levels after the social isolation tests (P=0,0174). No significant differences between the antibody titers of the groups was found (P>0,05). In conclusion, a spatial enrichment had no significant impact in terms of performance and health traits. However, the results of the behavioral characteristics suspected that the spatial enrichment leads to increased sensitivity of the kids. Furthermore, the explanation that the bipedal stance of the goat is a species-specific and essential behavior was reinforced.Key words: Animal welfare, performance, environmental enrichment, bipedal stance, social isolation ?