Effects of adaptation and meat goat breed in a method to evaluate electric fence additions to barb wire fence for goat containment

Forty Boer (B) wethers (150 ± 2.7 d of age and 20 ± 0.7 kg BW initially), 40 B doelings (163 ± 1.5 d and 22 ± 0.4 kg), 33 Spanish (S) wethers (162 ± 1.7 d and 18 ± 0.6 kg), and 42 S doelings (163 ± 1.6 d and 15 ± 0.4 kg) were used to investigate effects of adaptation treatment (AT) on behavior when exposed to barb wire fence with different electric strand treatments. Breeds were divided into 2 sets with 5 groups of 3 to 4 animals. Five 2.4 × 3.7 m evaluation pens had 1 side with barb wire strands at 30, 56, 81, 107, and 132 cm from the ground. Fence treatments (FT) were electrified strands (6 kV) at 15 and 43 (LH), 15 and 23 (LM), 15 (L), 23 (M), and 43 cm (H). After all animals experienced evaluation pens without electric strands (NES), the AT were conducted with weekly exposures to evaluation pens: wk 1 - 1 strand at 0 kV, wk 2 - LH, wk 3 - LH, and wk 4 - NES for 1 set of each breed (BC and SC); wk 1 - NES, wk2 - 1 strand at 0 kV, wk 3 - L, and wk 4 - NES for the other set of B (BU); wk 1 - 1 strand at 0 kV, wk 2 - LH, wk 3 - LH, and wk 4 - LH for the other set of S (SU). The AT were designed based on initial behavior to achieve similar results with BU and SU and, presumably, differences between BC and SC. After AT, each group was exposed to 1 FT in period 1 and 7 wk later in period 2. The percentage of animals exiting evaluation pens differed (P