General linear model analysis of behavioural responses of Boerand Tswana goats to successive handling

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the behavioural response of Boer goats and Tswana goats to successive handling. Boer goats and Tswana goats were subjected to aging and tail restrain during handling. Behavioural response was recorded through the vocalisation score (VS), crush score (CS), flight speed (FS), and flight time (FT) scores twice a week for eight weeks. A total of thirty six Boer goats and Tswana goats were used in this experiment. The results indicated that the Tswana goats were the most temperament (p < 0.05) and Boer goats were the calmest. Behavioural scores significantly increased throughout the experiment.