This study was undertaken to find ways of reducing the time taken by goats tobegin to eat an edible feed that they have not previously encountered. Experiment 1demonstrated that the time taken for goats (7-8 months old) to ingest an unfamiliar feed(rice straw) was shorter (4 days) when it was first offered to them in the presence offamiliar positive cues (the odor or flavor of juices extracted from previously eaten,nutritionally beneficial grasses), than if it was offered in the absence of such cues (10 days).In contrast, when the feed was offered in the presence of the odor of parasitised goat feces,the time to first ingestion was extended to 20 days. Experiment 2 showed that when sixmonthold goats were exposed to feeds they had not experienced previously (rice straw orrice bran) they did not ingest these feeds in less than 7 days. However, they commencedingesting these feeds immediately if they had been exposed to them, prior to weaning, inthe presence of their mother or another adult goat. Application of the principles of feedingbehavior, as illustrated by the present studies, to goats in Vietnam may improve theirproduction, especially when diets are changed frequently and include both familiar andunfamiliar materials.Keywords: Behavior; Diet selection; Flavor; Neophobia; Social facilitation; Goat.
Diet selection – an ecological perspective
