Search

Pasture-based goat operation is popular among small-scale farmers; however, it may be challenging when forage availability is limited. Grazing opportunity can be increased by developing silvopastures after thinning pine plantations. To successfully manage silvopastures, it is important to understand animals' interaction with trees. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of goats in the southern pine silvopasture system. Studies were conducted at two sites: Atkins Agroforestry Research and Demonstration Site, Tuskegee (Site 1), and Plantersville Silvopasture Demonstration Site, Plantersville, Alabama (Site 2). Site 1 consisted of six acres of longleaf (Pinus palustris Mill.) and loblolly (Pinus taeda L.) pine trees (10–11 years old, 147 ± 21.1 trees/acre; longleaf 52.14%, loblolly 47.86%). Site 2 comprised of 14 acres of 17–18 years old loblolly pine silvopastures. Both sites were planted with cool- and warm-season forages, and plots were rotationally grazed with goats (Site 1—Kiko wethers; Site 2—mixed breed of goats) during the 2015–2016 grazing seasons. Goat performance (live weight, body condition score, and FAMACHA score) was monitored every 2 weeks in Site 1, and trees were inspected for possible damage in both sites. Goats performed better while grazing cool-season forages during the spring. In Site 1, goats debarked pine trees, especially longleaf pines during the cool-season grazing period. No debarking was observed in Site 2. This study showed that southern pine silvopastures could provide a good grazing opportunity, but trees can be vulnerable to goats even when they are 10–11 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goats are commonly used to utilize the understory vegetation in pine silvopasture systems. Understanding goats' behavior and their distribution patterns is necessary to manage this system well. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diurnal behavior and distribution patterns of goats in Southern-pine silvopastures during the cool-season grazing period. This study was conducted in 2015 and 2016 in Tuskegee, Alabama, USA. Eight different cool-season forages were planted in separate subplots within each plot in mixed-pine silvopasture systems with three replications (3 plots, 0.4-ha each) in the fall of 2014 and 2015. Trees in the silvopasture consisted of longleaf (Pinus palustris Mill.) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). Twenty-eight Kiko wethers were rotationally stocked in the silvopasture plots in April 2015, and January to April 2016. When study began, trees were 10 years old (DBH: 12 ± 0.2 cm; height: 7 ± 0.1 m), and animals were 5-7 months old. The diurnal behavior (grazing, browsing, loafing, lying, and debarking) and distribution patterns of goats were monitored from dawn to dusk for two consecutive days (2015) or one day (2016) in each plot at each grazing rotation. Grazing was the most dominant diurnal behavior (36-54%) of Kiko wethers followed by lying (29-34%) and loafing (15-22%). The distribution evenness index was more even in 2016 vs. 2015, spring vs. winter, and mid-day vs. morning. Goats also showed some debarking behavior (< 2%), mostly on longleaf pine. The study showed that goats' behavior and distribution patterns were influenced by year (age), season, and part of the day. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]