Small Ruminant Research最新文献

{"title":"Socio-economic drivers of knowledge and adoption in goat farming: Tribal youth’s perspective","authors":"M.S. Meena ,&nbsp;J.P. Mishra ,&nbsp;B.S. Bhati ,&nbsp;Sunil Kumar Meena","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107633","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107633","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluated the impact of the Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture project on the knowledge and adoption of goat farming practices among tribal youth in Banswara district, Rajasthan, India. A total of 146 respondents were surveyed, including 73 trainees who completed a 21-day skill-oriented training program and 73 non-trainees as a control group. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, z-tests, and regression models. Training significantly improved youth knowledge across breeding, feeding, health care, and management, with an overall gain of 75.89 %. Adoption levels were lower (65.40 %), with the highest uptake in management (76.94 %) and breeding (69.52 %), while feeding showed the widest knowledge–adoption gap. Regression analysis identified mass media exposure as the strongest predictor of knowledge, whereas extension contacts and information access mainly influenced adoption. Results demonstrate that targeted training effectively bridges skill gaps, promotes scientific goat farming practices, and strengthens livelihood security among tribal youth. From a policy perspective, improving access to quality feed, veterinary services, and market linkages alongside strengthening extension outreach and digital advisory platforms will be essential to convert knowledge gains into sustained adoption and scale goat farming as a viable livelihood option.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 107633"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145417994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic diversity and selection signatures in related Mediterranean breeds: Sarda, Pag, and Istrian sheep","authors":"Laura Falchi ,&nbsp;Christina Marie Rochus ,&nbsp;Marija Špehar ,&nbsp;Jelena Ramljak ,&nbsp;Ante Kasap ,&nbsp;Nicolò Pietro Paolo Macciotta ,&nbsp;Ivan Pocrnic ,&nbsp;Alberto Cesarani","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107654","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107654","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Local sheep breeds in southern Europe are highly adapted to their environments, often characterized by hot climate and poor pasture availability, where other types of agriculture would not be possible. In order to better exploit these livestock resources, genomic regions associated with adaptation could be identified. The objective of this work was to use population genetic and genomic approaches to identify shared and private signatures of selection between an Italian breed, Sarda (SAR); and two Croatian breeds, Pag (PAG) and Istrian (IST) sheep. Common genomic regions will give insights into Mediterranean climate adaptations and past crossbreeding, while differences will provide information on specific environmental adaptations and selection pressures. A total of 4791 (825 SAR, 2683 PAG, 1283 IST) sheep were SNP genotyped (40,995 SNP after quality control). Population structure was studied through linkage disequilibrium and admixture. To identify signatures of selection, we used four approaches, runs of homozygosity (ROH), Wright’s fixation index (F_ST), cross population extended haplotype homozygosity (XP-EEH), and ratio of extended haplotype homozygosity between populations (Rsb). According to F_ST results, SAR and IST were the most divergent breeds. The latter breed showed the largest ROH-based inbreeding. A large selection signature on chromosome 6 (33.26–46,31 Mb) was found by all involved approaches as associated with IST. The results of the present study enabled the identification of common and private regions among three Mediterranean sheep breeds raised under similar environmental conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 107654"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145516893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial susceptibility of non-aureus staphylococci in dairy goats","authors":"Michelle P. Buckley ,&nbsp;Fazal Sattar ,&nbsp;Ganwu Li ,&nbsp;Orhan Sahin ,&nbsp;Roselle C. Busch ,&nbsp;Amanda J. Kreuder ,&nbsp;Paul J. Plummer ,&nbsp;Patrick J. Gorden","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107631","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107631","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Subclinical mastitis, most commonly due to non-aureus staphylococci (NAS), results in significant production losses within the dairy goat industry while also shortening the productive life of the animal due to the resultant chronic changes within the udder. The prevalence of this group of pathogens may be up to 50 % in some dairies. Dry-off is a common production point to address these infections through the extra-label use of long-acting intramammary antimicrobial products which are approved for dairy cattle in the US. However, the impacts of this treatment on antimicrobial resistance development are unknown in goats. The objective of this project was to evaluate the impact of intramammary antimicrobial use at dry-off on antimicrobial susceptibility testing and antimicrobial resistance gene profiles of NAS isolates from commercial farms in the United States which were associated with persistent or new subclinical intramammary infection during the dry period in goats. The current study is a continuation of a previous study which evaluated the efficacy of intramammary antimicrobial treatment for curing subclinical mastitis caused by non-aureus staphylococci. That analysis included 260 does who provided the isolates for the current study. Antimicrobial sensitivity testing was performed using a commercially available broth microdilution plate designed for treatment of mastitis in dairy cattle on dry-off and post-kidding samples for isolates that failed to cure or developed new NAS infections after treatment with one of two β-lactam (cephaparin, CEPH; cloxacillin, CLOX) dry cow therapies or in non-treated control animals to evaluate the impact of targeted dry therapy on phenotypic and genotypic antimicrobial resistance development of NAS in dairy goats. The most prevalent NAS associated with non-cured infections for all three treatment groups was &lt;em&gt;Staphylococcus epidermidis,&lt;/em&gt; while the most common NAS associated with new infections after kidding was &lt;em&gt;S. equorum&lt;/em&gt;. There were small variations in MIC for multiple drugs when data was evaluated by treatment group and location, though these changes did not form a consistent pattern and are likely due to the small sample size and farm-level differences in pathogens. The minimum concentration of penicillin (surrogate test for β-lactamase producing strains) required to inhibit growth in 50 % of isolates (MIC50) and 90 % of isolates (MIC90) did not change for non-cured isolates after antimicrobial therapy across the entire study population. Whole genome sequencing was also used to identify antimicrobial resistance genes commonly associated with NAS species. Presence of the &lt;em&gt;blaZ&lt;/em&gt; β-lactamase gene was highly correlated with increased penicillin MIC. Isolates with the highest MIC values (&gt;4 μg/mL) were all positive for the gene, while 79 % of isolates with penicillin MIC ≤ 0.12 μg/mL did not contain the &lt;em&gt;blaZ&lt;/em&gt; gene. Overall, this study did not identify any significant cha","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 107631"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145417955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Machine learning-based prediction of pre-weaning lamb survival using animal-, housing-, and management-related factors","authors":"Bulent Ekiz,&nbsp;Pembe Dilara Kecici,&nbsp;Hulya Yalcintan,&nbsp;Alper Yilmaz","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107625","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107625","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of the study is to classify lambs that will survive or die before weaning by using animal- and farm-related factors as predictors through machine learning (ML) algorithms, and to identify potential risk factors associated with lamb mortality in housed management systems. Survival records from birth to weaning of a total of 5539 lambs were analysed from ten farms, which reared Kivircik sheep. To predict whether the lambs will survive from birth to weaning, Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Naïve Bayes (NB), Boosting, Logistic Regression (LR), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) classifiers were tested. The survival of lambs in the raw dataset was 91.7 %. The highest accuracy (0.925) in classifying living or dead lambs was obtained by Boosting algorithm, while the second highest performance (accuracy of 0.897) was shown by RF. NB, LR, and SVM algorithms achieved relatively lower classification accuracies, ranging between 65 % and 67 %. According to the Boosting algorithm, birth weight was identified as the variable with the highest relative influence with 43.4 %. It was followed by birth month (12.2 %), number of ewes per shepherd (11.2 %), floor space per ewe (10.0 %), and birth rank group (7.0 %). In conclusion, Boosting algorithm demonstrated high classification accuracy in predicting lamb survival. Moreover, the strong predictive influences of birth weight, number of ewes per shepherd, floor space per ewe, and birth rank group indicate the importance of focusing on gestational nutritional management, husbandry conditions, and overall herd management practices in developing intervention strategies to reduce lamb mortality in housed management systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 107625"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145160354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence and risk factors of Theileria in small ruminants in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Xia Cao ,&nbsp;Jinbao Lv ,&nbsp;Yuan Ma ,&nbsp;Meijie Shan ,&nbsp;Limin Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107644","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107644","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Theileriosis, caused by <em>Theileria</em> spp., is an important tick-borne disease of small ruminants with serious impacts on animal health and livestock productivity. Although many studies have been conducted, comprehensive data on its prevalence and distribution in China remain limited. Following the PRISMA guidelines, this study systematically reviewed and analyzed 101 eligible studies published up to May 15, 2025. Literature searches were performed across six major databases: Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wanfang, CNKI, and VIP. Data extraction and quality assessment followed the GRADE framework, and meta-analysis was conducted in RStudio using a random-effects model. A total of 2157 records were screened, and 101 studies covering 27 provinces were included. The overall pooled prevalence of <em>Theileria</em> infection in small ruminants was 42.0 % (95 % CI: 33.78–54.58), with high heterogeneity among regions and climates. The highest prevalence occurred in Northwestern China (41.1 %), especially in cold semi-arid (BSk) zones (47.2 %). Among species, <em>T. luwenshuni</em> was most common (32.3 %), followed by <em>T. ovis</em> (19.8 %) and <em>T. uilenbergi</em> (12.5 %). Higher infection rates were recorded in goats (51.9 %) than in sheep (42.7 %), in young animals (51.1 %) than in adults, and in free-ranging systems (47.7 %) compared with more intensive management systems. A slight decline after 2015 suggested improved control efforts. This meta-analysis reveals a widespread and persistent burden of <em>Theileria</em> infection among small ruminants in China. <em>T. luwenshuni</em> and <em>T. ovis</em> are the dominant species, with the highest risk in Northwestern and BSk climatic regions. Strengthened region-specific surveillance, combined diagnostic approaches, and improved tick control are essential to reduce transmission and support sustainable livestock development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 107644"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145516830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimation of genetic parameters for fertility and prolificacy in the Lacaune meat sheep population carrying a hyperprolific gene","authors":"Emilie Cobo ,&nbsp;Jérôme Raoul ,&nbsp;Loys Bodin","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107630","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107630","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>From an economic perspective, meat sheep farms depend on several components, such as reproductive traits, which can be influenced by numerous factors of variation. In this study, the effects of two kinds of oestrus, a) induced oestrus (IO) and b) the first natural return oestrus (FRO), and of the genotype encoding a hyperprolific gene (FecL) on prolificacy and fertility were tested. The genetic parameters of these two traits were also estimated using BLUP animal models with ASReml software. The data related to 68,652 matings were recorded from 2010 to 2020 for 20,770 ewes from the Lacaune Ovi-Test population. The oestrus type, which is associated with the use of hormonal treatment, improved the two reproductive traits studied. As expected, one copy of the mutated allele of the FecL gene had an effect on the prolificacy of + 0.5 lambs per lambing but had no effect on fertility. Moreover, the animal variances estimated during this study for prolificacy and fertility after IO and on FRO were low but still explained a share of the phenotype variance of ± 0.5 lambs per litter and ± 0.20 fertility points around the average. The repeatabilities and heritabilities of prolificacy and fertility were low but consistent with the literature. Owing to the structural relationship between the oestrus type in our dataset, less data were available on FRO, making its genetic evaluation less accurate than the genetic evaluation on IO.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 107630"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145322070","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of Pulex irritans (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) fleas collected from sheep in Sivas Province, Türkiye","authors":"Zuhal Önder ,&nbsp;Batuhan Aşkım Arslanhan ,&nbsp;Sümmani Çifci","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107624","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107624","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Flea infestation in sheep is a significant public health concern due to their widespread distribution worldwide and the transmission of flea-borne diseases. In this study, we aimed to identify and molecularly characterize <em>P. irritans</em> collected from sheep, using morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic analysis. Flea samples were collected from sheep on six farms in Sivas Province, Türkiye, between April and September 2024. The flea specimens were morphologically identified using identification keys. After total genomic DNA extraction and Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR), the PCR products were sent for sequencing. This morphological study indicated that from the 250 adult fleas collected from sheep, 223 specimens (110 female and 113 male) belonged to the human flea, <em>Pulex irritans.</em> Also<em>,</em> mt-COI gene region Blast analysis results confirmed that all samples were <em>P. irritans</em>. Additionally, molecular analysis revealed a high sequence similarity (99.8 %) with <em>P. irritans</em> isolates from Iran and Australia, which are available in GenBank. Considering the relatively high frequency of presence of this ectoparasite in the sheep, further studies focused on the possibility of being a vector of pathogens and their distribution between these animals and humans are recommended. The results of this study can be used to identify flea-borne disease risks and develop effective control measures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 107624"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145160452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Homeopathic intervention enhances osteoarthritis management and productivity in dairy goats with Small Ruminant Lentiviruses: A triple-blind, placebo-controlled study","authors":"Lorena Jamila Alves Ferreira Guimarães ,&nbsp;Letícia Steves dos Santos ,&nbsp;Tatiane Pacheco Barenco de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Raymundo Rizaldo Pinheiro ,&nbsp;Maria Leonora Veras De Mello ,&nbsp;Juliana Patrão de Paiva ,&nbsp;Carla Holandino ,&nbsp;Argemiro Sanavria ,&nbsp;Nathalie Costa da Cunha ,&nbsp;Mário Felipe Alvarez Balaro","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107628","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107628","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) impact productivity, health, and welfare. With no effective treatments available, homeopathy offers a safe, low-cost, residue-free alternative. This study evaluated two distinct homeopathic protocols, a homeopathic nosode (Gnosode) and a homeopathic complex of plant/mineral origin (Ghomeopathic), using a triple-blind, placebo-controlled design in SRLV-infected goats. Forty-two Saanen goats with SRLV-confirmed chronic osteoarthritis and weight loss were randomly assigned to three groups: SRLV nosode (Gnosode; n = 14), homeopathic complex (Ghomeopathic; n = 14), or placebo (Gplacebo; n = 14). Treatments were administered orally (1 mL/day) for 90 days. Monthly assessments included clinical exams, joint ultrasound, and milk production records. Both homeopathic groups showed significant improvements (p &lt; 0.05) in body condition score, weight, articular index and joint width compared to placebo. Ultrasound revealed lower carpal joint lesion measures in treated groups, including reduced distance from the joint capsule to the subchondral space, area, and perimeter of lesions (p &lt; 0.05). Homeopathic treatments improved clinical and ultrasound outcomes, as well as productive parameters, in SRLV-infected goats. These results suggest homeopathy as a promising tool for managing chronic osteoarthritis and weight loss associated with SRLV.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 107628"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adaptability of Barbados Blackbelly rams towards elevated temperature-humidity index assessed through reproductive physiology and behaviour","authors":"Muhammad Syafiq Roslan ,&nbsp;Mohd Shahmi Hakimi Mazlishah ,&nbsp;Noorhidayah Mamat ,&nbsp;Nor Azlina Abd Aziz ,&nbsp;Noor Hashida Hashim ,&nbsp;Nuradilla Mohamad-Fauzi","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107645","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107645","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The influence of heat stress on reproductive performance in tropical-adapted sheep breeds is less described in literature, despite climate projections indicating worsening heat and humidity in tropical regions. Barbados Blackbelly (BB) sheep are highly regarded for their tropical adaptability and prolificacy, yet little empirical evidence proves their thermal tolerance and potential to improve sheep production in tropical countries. In this study, the effects of heat stress induced by elevated temperature-humidity index (THI) on BB ram reproductive performance were examined. Six BB rams were subjected to heat stress treatment (THI = 89–94) in a climatic chamber. After 14 days of heat treatment, rectal temperature, scrotal temperature, and respiration rate significantly increased in the rams. Significant reduction in their scrotal and testicular measurements was observed, as well as changes in their sexual behavioural patterns. BB ram testosterone level also significantly reduced at Day 14 of heat treatment. Cortisol level peaked at Day 7 and declined significantly by Day 14, likely indicating that physiological adaptation towards heat stress had begun to be employed by BB rams by the end of the treatment. Furthermore, despite an overall decline in spermatozoal quality, significant reduction was only observed in some motility and abnormality parameters. Elevated levels of malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide were also observed in ram seminal plasma indicating increased oxidative stress status, although the differences were not statistically significant. The present study provides key experimental evidence on the thermal resilience of Barbados Blackbelly rams, which merits the tropical adaptability of this prolific sheep breed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"253 ","pages":"Article 107645"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145466143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of floor type on the welfare of intensively housed goats: A review","authors":"L.I.W. Steenaert,&nbsp;G. Koop","doi":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107616","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.smallrumres.2025.107616","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Goat farming is an expanding industry, and large numbers of goats are held in intensive systems. Flooring is an important aspect of the housing of goats, as it directly affects their health and welfare. Goats in intensive housing systems are commonly held on organic materials, like straw or sawdust, or on slatted concrete or wooden floors or metal mesh. As all of these floor types are different from what goats encounter in nature, these floor types might not be optimal for the welfare of these goats. This article critically examines the impact of various types of flooring on the welfare of goats in intensive housing systems. We found that conventional flooring, such as straw, sawdust and slatted or mashed floors, are least preferred by goats, as compared to solid, inorganic flooring, with rubber seemingly the most preferred. These findings contrast current practices in commercial settings, where organic materials are often used, for practical reasons, which not only affects welfare, but also negatively impact the health of the goats by affecting air quality and facilitating bacterial growth. Slatted floors, though promoting a better air quality and reducing bacterial growth, were least preferred by the goats and were associated with claw health problems. Therefore, rubber mats seem, based on the available literature, to be the preferred floor type when looking at welfare of goats in small scale settings. However, further research is needed to further innovate and develop flooring that promotes welfare and is applicable in large-scale commercial settings. As the current literature often suffers from bias, future studies aiming to determine the effect of flooring on the goats’ welfare should improve repeatability of research and control external factors to prevent bias, such as indoor climate and familiarity of goats with certain types of flooring, and also determine long-term effects of flooring on goat welfare with longitudinal studies in commercial, large-scale settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21758,"journal":{"name":"Small Ruminant Research","volume":"252 ","pages":"Article 107616"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145044294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}