Maintenance Behaviour of West African Dwarf Goats on Concentrate Diet Containing Incremental Sodium Humate

Background and Objective: The maintenance behaviour of farm animals is a veritable tool to measure the welfare of the animals. This study investigated the duration and frequency of feeding, lying, walking and standing of West African Dwarf goats, in responses to the diets containing incremental sodium humate. Materials and Methods: Experimental diets were formulated containing sodium humate at 0, 5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5 g kg^-1 diet (control, 5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5 HNa). Three animals in each experimental diet for 90 days were transferred to cages for behavioural observations. Video recordings from a 12 unit CP PLUS^® CCTV camera (Model: CP-ER-1606E2-T) were reviewed for behavioural parametersusing Boris^® software. The results were analysed using one-way ANOVA as outlined in SPSS. Results: The result reveals a quadratic increase (p<0.05) in the mean duration of feeding in the 7.5 HNa and 10 HNa groups. Feed intake and the mean duration of standing and walking were reduced (p<0.05) in the supplemented groups. The frequency of walking decreased (p<0.05) in the sodium humate groups. However, there was an increase (p<0.05) in the frequency of feeding and standing. Conclusion: It was concluded that sodium humate has the potential to improve the welfare of West African Dwarf goats under confinement.