Feral goat parturition and lying-out sites: Spatial, physical and meteorological characteristics

Abstract

The characteristics of sites used by feral goats for parturition and by neonates during lying-out were examined. Parturition and lying-out sites were concentrated in areas of high use by the female herd, and were closer to a traditional night-camp than expected by chance. Parturition sites were more likely to have overhead cover, be adjacent to a vertical object and have lower wind velocity than controls. Lying-out sites differed from controls in: slope; substrate; proximity to a vertical object; cover; and by having lower wind velocity and lower light intensity. The characteristics selected for parturition and lying-out sites seem to offer protection to females and their neonates from the environment and from potential predators.