Effect of time and period of occupation on the feeding behavior of Boer goats, Mafikeng, North West Province, South Africa

Abstract

The study aimed at determining the feeding behavior, effects of time of feeding as well as the effect of period of occupation in a grazing camp by Boer goats. The study utilizes experimental design of 10ha plot in which the goats were confined in order to control the environment and collect data for analysis twice a week for four weeks. The Data was analyzed using Generalized Linear Model (GLM) with time of the day and period of occupation and their interactions as the main factors in the model. The study reveals that, time of the day and period of occupation did not significantly influence the relative time goats devoted to browsing. However, there was a significant difference between time of the day and period of occupation. The time of the day and period of occupation also had significant influence on the time goats spent on non-feeding activities (NFA).