Effect of a reduced amount of straw bedding on goats' comfort and hygienic characteristics of milk and straw

The present study aims to understand the influence of a reduced amount of straw litter on goats' lying comfort and hygienic characteristics of milk and straw. Lying behaviour (frequency, lying posture, location and social context) of 24 Alpine goats subjected to two different straw treatments (Regular: 2 kg/straw/head + 1 kg straw/head/day, n = 12; Scarce: 1 kg straw/head + 0.5 kg straw/head/day, n = 12) was observed from video recordings using a scan sampling method at 15-min scan intervals in March 2017. Moreover, straw and milk samples were submitted to microbiological analysis for the detection of total bacteria (SPC) and Enterobacteriaceae count. No significant differences in the duration of lying were observed between treatments, except at the beginning of the experimental period (Day 1: Regular: 26.0%; Scarce: 20.3% of scans; p <.05). In both treatments lying behaviour followed the normal lying patterns for goats, with a preference for sternal lying (99.4% of scans), in contact with a pen wall (78.2% of scans) and not in contact with other goats (alone: 79.7% of scans). Milk and straw SPC and Enterobacteriaceae count were not affected by the treatment. This preliminary study suggests the possibility to reduce the amount of straw as bedding material in goat farms, without affecting animal welfare and microbiological characteristics of milk and straw litter. However, further studies are required to confirm these results under different climatic conditions.Highlights Reducing the amount of straw bedding does not affect goats' comfort Microbiological characteristics of milk and straw are not affected by the amount of straw bedding Provided that a daily addition is guaranteed, it seems possible to reduce management costs by reducing the amount of straw as bedding material.