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Presently, research on goats is less developed than on cattle, sheep and pigs in spite of the world-wide significance of goat farming. In the year 2000, the countries with low levels of income produced 33% of all technical papers published on goats around the world, while having 81% of the world goat population. The countries with high levels of income produced 46% of all goat papers for only 1% of the world goat population. Generally, the quality and efficiency of goat research is very variable, although the situation has improved during the last 20 years. Despite limited financing support for goat research, its efficiency could be improved by a better research organisation and implementing committees, which include representatives of professional organisations to decide research priorities, and by implementing research networks, which would incite researchers from various institutions to work together. Such research networks must supply new general, scientific knowledge by pooling the results obtained from various experimental conditions with linkage analyses particularly if the bibliographic results appear to be heterogeneous or conflicting. Organisations for analysing and synthesising the scientific information must be created in order to make it easier for application by end users. Moreover, strong efforts must be made to improve the professional training of researchers in the goat sector. A project for improving the structuring of goat research at the world-wide level must be supported by international organisations such as FAO, ICARDA, ILRI, IGA, etc. Difficulties encountered by goat research are the same as those of the other animal species but in the goat sector the consequences are more significant because of its delayed development and very limited organisation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Unlike most domestic livestock species, sheep are widely known as an animal with marked seasonality of breeding activity. The annual cycle of daily photoperiod has been identified as the determinant factor of this phenomenon, while environmental temperature, nutritional status, social interactions, lambing date and lactation period are considered to modulate it. The aim of this paper is to review the current state of knowledge of the reproductive seasonality in sheep. Following general considerations concerning the importance of seasonal breeding as a reproductive strategy for the survival of species, the paper describes the manifestations of seasonality in both the ram and the ewe. Both determinant and modulating factors are developed and special emphasis is given to the neuroendocrine base of photoperiodic regulation of seasonal breeding. Other aspects such as the role of melatonin, the involvement of thyroid hormones and the concept of photorefractoriness are also reviewed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Goats are the primary source of protein for many rural communities worldwide, particularly those living in extreme geographical conditions. Goats have numerous advantages that enable them to maintain their production under extreme climate conditions. They have efficient browsing behavior as well as an efficient digestive system, allowing them to remain productive in difficult environmental circumstances. Strong heat resistance, outstanding feed conversion efficiency, survival in adverse climatic circumstances, and high resistance to many diseases are all traits that contribute to production. Because of these features, goat breeding is vital to minimizing and adapting to the negative consequences of climate change. Livestock production accounts for around 7–18% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. Of this, goats specifically account for 4% of overall greenhouse gas emissions in global animal farming. Enteric CH4 released during production is considered a nutritional energy loss in goats and it's an important role in global warming and the greenhouse effect. These effects ensure that CH4 production is reduced to provide an optimum economic return from goat farming as well as reduce the impact on global warming. The capacity of goats to adapt to the negative impacts of climate change and their benefits in sustainable production compared to other ruminant species will be thoroughly examined in this paper. As a result, it will contribute to a better understanding of the benefits of goat breeding in the face of future climate change. • Some mechanisms of goats enable them to maintain their production under extreme climate conditions. • Efficient feed conversion efficiency leads lower enteric CH4 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Feed conversion ration affected DWI more than average daily gain and nitrogen intake. • Predictor variables associated with energy requirements (i.e. total digestible nutrient (TDN), TDN intake) improved the accuracy of the models when compared to those which used DMI. • Diet + Animal model Ib: DWI (L/lamb/d) = – 5.7911 + 0.0935 × BWf (kg) – 0.0139 × CP (g/kg DM) + 4.2755 × ADG (kg/d) – 0.0061 × TDN (g/kg DM). A meta-analysis was conducted to develop and evaluate new empirical predictive models for drinking water intake (DWI) of growing lambs. A large dataset containing 213 experimental diets from 47 experiments published in 44 peer-reviewed papers was built. Selected explanatory variables were grouped into animal (bodyweight initial (BWi); body weight final (BWf); average daily gain (ADG); feed conversion ratio (FCR); nitrogen intake (Nint), diet composition (dry matter; ash; crude protein (CP); neutral detergent fiber; forage), dry matter intake (DMI) and total digestible nutrient (TDN) and/or total digestible nutrient intake (TDNI) inputs. To develop predictive models, the dataset (peer-reviewed papers) was randomly divided into two subsets for statistical analyses. The first data subset was used to develop equations to predict DWI (27 peer-review papers; 28 experiments; 139 experimental diets), and the second data subset was used to assess the adequacy of the predictive models (17 peer-review papers; 19 experiments; 74 experimental diets). Ash was the main diet input affecting DWI in growing lambs, while FCR affected DWI more than ADG and Nint among the animal inputs. For growing lambs, the use of predictor variables associated with energy requirements improved the accuracy of the models when compared to those which used DMI. Among the developed models, the complete ones, which include diet and animal input, present better predictive quality. The use of the Diet + Animal Ib Model is recommended for the prediction of DWI in growing lambs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]