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MEKARN Regional Conference 2007: Matching Livestock Systems with Available Resources |
The study aims to test the effects of the dominance-subordinate hierarchy on recognition, acceptance and intake of agro-industrial byproducts offered to animals as a supplementary feed, rice straw and thereby provide the tactics to overcome the agonistic behavior problem as a suitable yard designs for allowing subordinate animals to access to a feed trough to eat enough supplements that they need. The research showed that different types of physical barriers on side - by - side promote from 15 to 40 percent of possible intake of supplementary feed depended on such different types.
It is clear that all domestic animals, except the cat, have highly social traits of living in groups. It can be readily observed that in an established group, each animal has different status, rank or place in the peck/bunt order (Malechek and Provenza 1981). The other way of putting it is that the presence of a dominant animal inhibits the behavior of a subordinate one. Therefore, dominant animals usually have the best of life, while subordinate one have to live in hard circumstances in terms of sharing a food, drinking water and shelter. It was observed in Trihai village ( Dam Van Tien 2006, personal observation) that when farmers offered supplements of green feeds and concentrates to the goats, the subordinate goats did not dare to access the food trough even when the dominant goat had finished eating, but stayed nearby the feed source.
In practice, in the case of several animals sharing the food and water in one trough, the problem is readily observed and is more important under crowded conditions where the subordinate animal cannot avoid the dominant one (Lobato et al 1980; Dam Van Tien et al 1999; Dam Van Tien and Ha 2000, Dam Van Tien 2003).
The questions that arise from this situation in general are: (i) dominance-subordinate hierarchy behavior has meaning in terms of social relationships of animals living in a group; (ii) what is the effect of this behavior in subordinate animals in terms of sharing supplements at night-time or/and early morning with a dominant animal (eg: in the case of access to drinking water from a pool placed in the yard; (iii) which pairs of possible social interactions (eg: male-male, male-female, old-young) will have the most negative impact on subordinate animals; and (iv) what are the solutions that may be needed to overcome the problem in livestock feeding management?
Therefore, in this study, we investigated: (i) the effects of such innate behavior of animals on recognition, acceptance and intake of agro-industrial byproducts offered as supplementary feeds by farmers in rural areas; and (ii) possible solutions that could help farmers to overcome dominance-subordinate hierarchy behavior that occur in their animals.
The experiment was conducted at Phu Bai village. The barriers were fabricated to provide complete and partial protection of the heads of the animals thereby allowing subordinate ones to feed without, or partially defended from, physical attack from the dominant one. The barriers may provide complete protection of the head (Figure 1b and 1d) which allows subordinates to feed without attack from the dominant one, thus giving it longer access to feed, whereas partial protection (Figure 1c and 1e) may result in less time spent feeding.
Figure 1. The feeding system design with different experimental situations (Malechek and Provenza 1981)
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Six different groups, each of two goats, were formed as follows:
Male and male (both adults);
Male and female (both adults);
Male (adult) and young male kid;
Female and female (both adults);
Female (adult) and young female kid;
Two young kids
Each group was exposed to the following treatments
NP (control): No barrier
CP: Complete protection (subordinate free from attack of dominant goat)
PP: Partial protection ( subordinate partially protected from attack by dominant goat)
The supplement to be tested was rice straw. After an overnight fast in the holding pen, each group of animals was tested for their voluntary intake of the supplement. The time of one test was 10 min every day. Each group was exposed in sequence to each treatment, the order of exposure being decided at random and thus, each day, thirty minutes will be required to test each of the treatments (NP, CP and PP) applied to one of the groups. The rest of the groups were tested sequentially at random on succeeding days.
The intakes of rice straw were recorded for each animal in each group and related to dominance status.
The results given in Figure 2 indicate that a subordinate goat in the different protection of the head and side can shield the animal from attack and give it more feed intake than controled one. It is true that the complete protection and partial protection of the head and side between dominant and subordinate animal allowed subordinate animal ate more about 15 to 40 percent rice straw than control one, no barier protection respectively during the test time.
The bar chart also shows that social relationships between animals often based on sex and sexual relationship behaviour especially the M-F adult model in social interation that reduced about 26 percent of impact of dominant behaviour during the meal than remain relationship ones. This finding is more support for issue of balance gender not only for human being in society but also for animal living in group.
It is reasonable to say that social behavior is regular predictable behavior that occurs between two or more individuals in animal society (Lynch and Alexander. 1986; Dam Van Tien and Preston 2003). The behavior have more meanings in terms of defense, play, care-giving and sexual relationship etc (Grandin 1980). Almost all researchers assume that the social relationships between animals often based mainly on sex and age and so gender and age issues become more important key animal society and livestock handling especially in feeding management (Dam Van Tien 2006a and 2006b).
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Figure 2. Increased rate of eating of dominant goat compared with subordinate one.
Notes: M-F: male and female in relationship M-M: male and male in relationship F-F: female and female in relationship No: no barier protection P1 and p2 partial protection C1 and c2 complete protection |
It is possible that goat producers need to change the social groupings of domestic stock to one sex/one age groups instead of the mixed, complex groups consisting of animals of reproductive age, juveniles and infants found previously in the wild state. This control over groups is aided by weaning practice, buying and selling, as well as restricting available space.
It can be seen in Figure 3 that the rate of intake of the dominant goat was more than for the subordinate animal. Different protection devices can make an opportunity for reducing hierarchy relationship between dominate and subordinate one when the supplementary feed is exposed to livestock. It is very interesting that female adult – young goat relationship in group was reduced much more effect of dominant issue in social behaviour during supplemented feeding. While young kids of the same of age showed more conflict with each other each other during the course and the dominant goat ate more feed than subordinate animal.
There are some possible social behaviors that will occur when live stock are living in groups such as dominance-subordinate hierarchy behavior, sexual relationship, care dependency, indifference, savagery, flocking, mutual care of young, suckling, peer relationships, play and defence (Chapple and Lynch 1986; Manika et al 1989). In our point of view, it is necessary to understand what possible social interaction are presented when animals are living in groups so that humans can have good handling and design of yard and house for animal living in comfortable way.
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Figure 3. Increased rate of eating of dominant goat compared with subordinate one.
Notes: M-YK: male and young kid in relationship F-YK: female and young kid in relationship YK-YK:young and young in relationship No: no barier protection P1 and p2 partial protection C1 and c2 complete protection |
In addition, in many farming situations especially in extensive systems, group membership is often changed, leading to more agonistic behavior as dominance relationships are being re-established and it is more concerned to the sexual relationship and defence (duToit, J. T et al,. 1991; Kyriazakis, I. 1994). Say in other way, such dominant behavior has probably influenced behavior of our domestic animals at least as much as genetic selection. (Galef 1976; Manika et all 1989, Dam Van Tien 2000; Dam Van Tien 2001a).
The effects of different types of physical barriers on feed intake of hungry goats classified according to dominance status.
Building/yard design, such as voluntary feeding stalls with protection of the head and sides can shield a subordinate from attack and allow animals to eat more feed in the trough.
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