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The aim of this study was to apply a protocol based on the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) protocols for small ruminants in Brazilian Northeast farms to evaluate the welfare of meat goat, comparing animals kept on semi-intensive (S) and extensive (E) farms. Fifteen farms located in the Metropolitan Region of Quixadá and Quixeramobim, Ceará, Brazilian Northeast, were recruited. Assessments were performed at group and individual level. Significant differences between S and E farms was set at P<0.05 to all tests. At group level, there was a significant difference between groups, with more goats from E farms affected by heat stress and more animals from S farms presenting oblivion. Resource-based indicators, type of drinkers and access to shelter, differed significantly between S and E systems, with goats on S farms allocated in places with access to water more frequently during night period and protected from wind. Type of facility was more complex for animals on S farms (n=2) than on all E farms due to internal divisions, with S farms presenting feeders, drinking fountains, salt shakers, and slatted or cemented floor. At individual level, abscess and ocular discharge were more frequently observed on S farms and ears lesions were more frequent on E farms, probably due to distinct management of goats. Similarities between results showed that farmers in both production systems faced problems related to heat stress, lack of forage and health issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to better understand farmers' perceptions regarding sheep welfare and procedures concerning the tail docking of sheep in the state of Parana, Southern Brazil. The study was carried out via telephone interviews or personally with 146 sheep farmers. Twenty-eight farmers (19.2%) did not tail dock; the main reasons given were because they raised short-hair sheep breeds. One hundred and eighteen farmers docked their sheep tails (80.8%). The main reasons given were hygiene (61.0%), facilitated mating (42.4%), breed standards (29.7%), and esthetics (26.3%). Rubber ring was the main method used for tail docking. Although farmers in Parana recognized that sheep are sentient animals and that tail docking causes pain, anesthesia was used by only six (5.1%) farmers during the procedure of tail docking. Our results showed that farmers' opinions on sheep tail docking are divergent. Farmers who perform tail docking must be encouraged to use anesthesia and analgesia, and to ponder on the real need for the practice. This statement seems especially relevant considering the fact that some farmers reported the viability of maintaining wool sheep with undocked tails and that they recognized the suffering involved in this procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, AWIN Goat Protocol was published in Europe, with indicators that identify welfare level of lactating dairy goats; however, there are no welfare protocols for meat goat. Therefore, the objective of this study was to select animal and resource-based indicators to assess welfare in meat goat in different types of grazing systems in Brazilian semiarid Northeast. Eighteen indicators were selected to evaluate the welfare of meat goat. The knowledge of the welfare degree of these animals is the best way to make improvements and promote a better quality of life to meat goat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silage contamination by fungi is determined by several factors and the development of these microorganisms compromises silage sanitary quality. The main problem may be associated to the occurrence of mycotoxins that cause diseases to the animals which results in considerable economic losses. The objective of this study was to correlate ambient temperature, silo's wall coating (concrete x soil) and canvas management after opening (up x down) with the incidence and quantification of mycotoxins in maize silages. One hundred and nine dairy farms that used maize silage were assessed. All farms were categorized by silo type and management. Only 35 farms fit the pre-defined parameters for correlation analysis. Three silage samples of approximately 1.1 kg were collected at points with different temperatures on the exposed side of the silo for evaluation of the mycotoxins: zearalenone (ZEN); ochratoxin (OT); deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins B1, B2, and total (FB1, FB2, and FT), by Liquid Cromatography - Mass Spectrometry. Completely randomized design was used. Each silo represented the experimental unit and each farm represented the repetition. Results means were submitted to the Pearson correlation test at 5% of significance. When all data were correlated, it was observed that the ambient temperature presented a moderate positive correlation (p < 0.01) for DON (0.58) and the silo's wall coating presented a weak positive correlation (p < 0.05) for FB2 (0.40) and FT (0.36). Canvas management showed no correlation with any evaluated mycotoxin. Maize is an ideal substrate for fungi growth, since it has a large amount of starch present in the structure of its grains. High temperatures also favor the development of fungi. In addition, the soil is an important contaminant of silages and represents a way of introducing microorganisms into silage which may results in the production of mycotoxins. These results show that the ambient temperature is related not only to the development of filamentous fungi, but also to the presence and content of mycotoxins, as well as the silo coating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hygiene during the production and use of silages are important managements which avoid filamentous fungi in silages. In anaerobiosis and low pH, most fungi have stagnant growth. However, the input of oxygen enables the development of these microorganisms and their metabolites, especially at favorable temperatures. The presence of fungi involves losses of nutrients and risks of the contamination of animals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between silo coating (concrete x soil) and ambient temperature with the appearance and quantification of mycotoxins in maize silages. One hundred and nine maize silage producing farms that had large-scale trench silos, distributed in four regions (Paraná, SantaCatarina, Minas Gerais, and Goiás), were assessed. All farms were categorized by silo type. Only 35 farmsfit the pre-defined parameters for correlation analysis. Three silage samples of approximately 1.1 kg were collected at points with different temperatures (higher, medium and low) on the exposed side of the silo, for content evaluation of the mycotoxins: zearalenone (ZEN); ochratoxin (OT); deoxynivalenol (DON) and fumonisins B1, B2, and total (FB1, FB2, and FT), by Liquid Cromatography – Mass Spectrometry. Completely randomized design was used. Each silo represented the experimental unit and each farm represented the repetition. Results means were submitted to the Pearson correlation test at 5% of significance. When correlated the concrete-coated silo and canvas management, it was observed a weak positive correlation (0.32) for FB2, but it was not significant. When correlated the soil-coated silo and ambient temperature with mycotoxin content, there was a moderate positive correlation (p < 0.05) for OCR (0.58) and strong positive (p < 0.01) for DON (0.79). When correlated the soil-coated silo and canvas management, it was observed a weak negative correlation (0.36) and (0.30) for OT and DON, respectively, which were not significant, and a weak positive correlation (0.31) for FB2, which also showed no significance. It was observed that soil-coated silos, considering the relation between ambient temperature and canvas management, presented higher presence and content of mycotoxins when compared to concrete-coated silos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]