Nursing, suckling and postpartum anoestrus of creole goats kidding in January in subtropical Mexico

• Published in: Applied animal behaviour science Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 91 - 101
• Main Authors: Delgadillo, J.A., Poindron, P., Krehbiel, D., Duarte, G., Rosales, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-12-1997
• Subjects: anestrus; behavior; breeding season; Goat; goat breeds; goats; kidding; kids; Nursing behavior; Postpartum anoestrus; postpartum period; Seasonal dynamics; sucking; suckling; winter; Mexico; Goat; Nursing behavior; Postpartum anoestrus; Seasonal dynamics
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-1591(97)00038-5
• EISSN: 1872-9045
• ISSN: 0168-1591

The nursing behavior of 10 creole goats and their 18 kids was studied during the first month of lactation by weekly observations from dawn to dusk. The study took place in northern Mexico during the months of January and February. Except for 2 goats that fostered one alien kid each, all mothers nursed only their own litter. Nursing frequencies in the mothers were high and decreased significantly from week 1 (median 39/11 h) to week 4 (14/11 h, Friedman test,
p < 0.001). Median duration of a nursing episode ranged from 28 s in week 1 to 24 s in week 4 (
p < 0.01). The median interval between two nursing episodes increased from 8 min in week 1 to 27 min in week 4 (
p < 0.001). The number of times a mother was nursing her two kids at the same time was low in the first week (3 times/day) and increased in the following weeks (11, 12 and 9 for weeks 2, 3 and 4 respectively,
p < 0.05). On the other hand the median duration of each joint nursing episode did not vary significantly between weeks (24 s in week 1 to 21 in week 4). No significant differences were encountered in the suckling activity of male and female kids. The majority of behavioral parameters in the mothers and in the kids were highly correlated from week to week (Spearman rank correlations). Growth rates of the kids were generally not correlated with their suckling behavior except for a general tendency of negative correlations with parameters characteristic of synchronized suckling by the two kids of the same litter. Finally, the recovery of sexual activity was observed at a median time of 197 days for oestrus behavior and 206 days for luteal function. It is concluded that nursing behavior in goats is similar to that of sheep, despite their difference in postpartum strategies (hider vs. follower) and that season is the main limiting factor for the recovery of sexual activity in creole goats kidding in winter in subtropical areas of Mexico.