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INTRODUCTION

Behavior is the reaction of an animals(Sheep & Goat) to a certain stimulusor the manner in which it interactswith its environments.

Ethology is the study of animalbehaviour in the animal’s naturalhabits.

TYPES OF BEHAVIOR Feeding behavior.

Social behavior.

Sexual behavior.

Parental behavior.

Drinking and excretory behavior.

Exploratory behavior.

Conflict behavior.

Sleep behavior.

Aggression and fear behavior etc.

FEEDING BEHAVIOUR IN GOATS

Goats are natural browsers,preferring to eat leaves, twigs,vines and shrubs.

They are very agile and willstand on their hind legs to reachvegetation.

Goats likes to eat the tops ofplants.

Goats will not eat mouldy ormusty feed and generally avoidpoisonous plants unless theyare wilted and then are morepalatable.

FEEDING BEHAVIOUR IN SHEEP

Sheep are grazers,

preferring to eat short, tender

grasses and clover.

Their dietary preference is

forbs ( broad leaf weeds )

and they like to graze close

to the soil surface.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOR Social behavior is also called

behavior of association.

Sheep and goats areassociated together ingroups.

Sheep and goats are move ingroups tend to follow aleader.

The leader of the herd isvery strong, aggressive andable to offer some protectionto some members of thegroup.

DRINKING BEHAVIOR

The drinking behavior of a animal

is influenced by the part of the

brain called the hypothalamus.

Sheep and goat usually drink

water 1-5 times a day.

Sheep and goat on an average

require 2-10 litres per day for

drinking.

Daily water consumption depends

on the following factors:-

1.Body size of the animal.

2. Physiological condition.

3.Season.

4. Nature of feed etc.

SEXUAL BEHAVIOR Essentially, the behavioral

manifestation of sex depends uponthe action of sex hormones on thecentral nervous system. Somecharacters of the sexual behavior: -

Nosing & smelling of the female’svulva by male’s.

Flicking out of the tongue.

Low –pitched bleating sounds.

Butting of the female’shindquarters.

False mounting attempts.

Female animals are not alwayspassive in courtship .For example,the ewe actively solicits the ram bynuzzling his flank or scrotum.

PARENTAL BEHAVIOR Parental behavior is well shown

by mother- offspring relationship.

They seek remote or hidden places

for giving birth.

After birth, the sheep and goat

may spend some time grooming

and cleaning amniotic fluid from

the newborn.

Assisting the young ones to suckle.

This may be done by lying down

or adopting a suitable orientation

that enables the newborn to locate

the teat.

SLEEP BEHAVIOR Sleeping habits vary in

different animal species.

The purpose of sleep and rest

is to restore the body . Like

mating and feeding behavior.

Sheep and goats sleep for

about 8 hours and are awake

for about 16 hours a day.

Sheep and goats sleep in a

sitting position.

COMMUNICATION BEHAVIOR Communication exists when

some type of information isexchanged between individualanimals.

This may occur with thetransfer of information throughany of the senses.

A distress call, involving adifferent type of sound, occursfrom either the female or heryoung when they becomeseparated.

Young animals cry for helpwhen disturbed or distressed:-lambs bleat.

Adult animals call for helpwhen under stress.

CLIMBING AND MOULDING BEHAVIOR Goats are remarkable in their

ability to climb and canmove safety along narrowmountain path to grazeamong the rocks .

This ability can be a problemin farming as goats willclimb fence stay to jumpover, so electric fencing isnecessary to run goats,especially at the highstocking rates needed tomake them eat weeds.

Goats will also mould holesbelow fences to escape.

EXCRETORY BEHAVIOR Excretory behavior is also called

eliminative behavior.

Excretory behavior refers to the

pattern of behavior connected with

the evacuation of faeces or urine

from the body.

The amount of material evacuated

and the number of times, it is

eliminated, depends on the amount

of food eaten, the type of food, the

temperature of the surroundings,

and the animal itself.

Animals defecate and urinate more

when stress or excited.

EXPLORATORY BEHAVIOR Exploratory behavior is the

type of behavior in which theanimal searches an object in itssurrounding to satisfy itscuriosity.

Exploratory behavior is usuallyinvestigative.

Exploratory behavior appearsto be increased by strangenessof the environment, and by itsspaciousness and complexity.

Exploratory behavior enablesan animal to learn about itsenvironment.

SHELTER SEEKING BEHAVIOR

Animals crowd together in

snow and cold winds.

Animals seek shelter to trees

when it rains.

Sheep and goat seek shady

area for rest and rumination

if weather is hot.

In extreme situation animals

pile-up to the extent that

some get smother.

CONFLICT BEHAVIOR Conflict behavior is the

opposition(conflict) betweenbehavioral tendencies.

The dominant buck isaggressive during the breedingseason.

Sheep and goats are establish adominance hierarchy in flocks,sometimes through headbutting.

This reason, animals of similarage should be grouped togetherso that bullying will bereduced.

LEARNING BEHAVIOR Learning is the process which

produces change in individualbehavior as the result ofexperience.

The factor include the age ofthe animal, its environment,rewards associated withlearning, as well as constraintson learning.

Younger animals are moresusceptible to learning than arethe adult animals.

Farm animals respond to callsor whistles of the producer.

AGGRESSION AND FEAR Animal aggression is the tendency

of one animal to want to inflict

damage on another animal, or the

tendency to initiate vigorous

conflict.

The dominant buck is aggressive

during the breeding season.

Dominant animals are inclined to

be more aggressive with other

animals and usually feed first at

trough.

Factors which affect aggression:-

Hormones, Experience, Appetitive

behavior, External factors.

ANOMALOUS BEHAVIOR

Anomalous behavior is anybehavior which is a variantof a normal activity,displayed abnormally, e.g.-excessive self-grooming.

Anomalous sexual behaviorin male animals includesexcessive libido, reduced sexdrive etc.

Anomalous behaviour maybe regarded as abnormal orirregular behaviour.

BEHAVIOR DURING HANDLING AND RESTRAINT

Most animals are handled andrestrained several times duringtheir lifetime.

Ease of handling dependslargely on the animals’temperament, size and previousexperience and the design ofthe handling facilities.

Understanding animalsbehavior can assist inpreventing injury, undue stressand physical exertion for bothanimals and producers.

MANAGEMENT OF BEHAVIOR

1. Giving training to regulate behavior.

2. Control by maneuvering the animals by

anticipation of their behavior.

3.The use of physical force.

4. By use of mechanical disadvantages.

5. By the use of drugs etc.

CONCLUSION

Animal(sheep & goat )behavior results from theinteraction between stimuli in an animals internal andexternal environments.

Knowledge of animal behaviour will help producer to bemore efficient in managing livestock enterprises whichwill be safer and more production.

Animals also change their behaviour from season toseason, mainly as a person to change in weather condition.

Pattern of animals behaviour is determined chiefly byheredity but it also can be modified by training andlearning.