Volume: 5, 2026
5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: A003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.A003
Published online: 22 April 2026
Assessment of feeding behaviour and olfactory exploration of different chaffs in goats
Weronika Bogusz*, Aleksandra Nowak, Hubert Mucha, Emilia Mądro, Wiktoria Janicka and Iwona Rozempolska-Rucińska
Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 13 Akademicka St., 20-950 Lublin, Poland
* Corresponding author: weronika.bogusz@up.edu.pl
The senses of smell and taste play a crucial role in animals’ food acceptance. When selecting food, animals rely both on its availability, nutritional value, the expected post-ingestive effect (positive or negative), as well as on its sensory characteristics. The sense of smell enables animals to gather initial information about feed before consumption, whereas taste provides direct cues about its palatability. In the present study, goats’ feeding behaviour and olfactory exploration of various chaffs were assessed in relation to their potential attractiveness.
Seventeen adult goats (males; n=10, females; n=7) were first exposed to the smell (olfaction test) and then fed (consumption test) with seven types of chaffs, containing different plant species: C1 – wheat straw, C2 – sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia), C3 – lucerne (Medicago sativa), C4 – timothy grass (Phleum pratense), C5 – green oat (Avena sativa), C6 – complex composition; wheat straw, different grasses, cinnamon (Cinnamomum), thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and C7 – complex composition; different grasses, licoric (Glycyrrhiza glabra), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), mint (Mentha), chamomile (Matricaria), anise (Pimpinella anisum). Each experimental day, the goats either smelled or ate one type of chaff in a pseudorandomised manner, so that on one day they smelled a specific chaff, and on the next day they consumed it. During the olfaction test, each individual was allowed to explore a crib containing a box with plant material for 30 seconds, enabling it to smell the material without any possibility of consuming it. The time [s] and frequency [number of events] of crib exploration (sniffing, touching) were recorded. In the consumption test, goats were fed 15 g of the given chaff, with a maximum feeding time set at 240 seconds. The total feeding time [s] (including both feed intake and breaks), the duration of breaks in feeding [s], and the amount of leftovers [g] were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.4 software.
The goats explored C2 and C3 for the longest and C1 for shortest. The total time needed to consume C1 was significantly longer than for all other types of chaff excluding C6. The goats consumed C7 in the shortest time. Similar observations were made for duration of breaks in feed consumption. Some significant differences were found in the amount of leftovers, with the highest value observed for C1 and zero for C7. No correlation was found between the time of olfactory exploration and total time of feeding. The results suggest that olfactory behaviour does not necessarily predict goats’ willingness to consume feed, and that sniffing may be associated with perceiving food as either attractive or unattractive. The plant composition of feed may influence its acceptance and palatability. Further studies should consider the effects of feed nutritional composition and individual preferences of goats on their feeding behaviour and food acceptance.
Keywords: feed palatability; olfaction; small ruminants; taste
How to cite
Bogusz W., Nowak A., Mucha H., Mądro E., Janicka W., Rozempolska-Rucińska I., 2026. Assessment of feeding behaviour and olfactory exploration of different chaffs in goats. In: 5th International PhD Students’ Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL5.A003