{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,12]],"date-time":"2026-02-12T14:03:00Z","timestamp":1770904980483,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"15","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,27]],"date-time":"2022-07-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1658880000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Research and Higher Education\u2014Development Cooperation Committee (ARES-CCD)"},{"name":"National Institute of Agricultural Research"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sensors"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The recent development of advanced electronic sensors to monitor and record animal grazing activity provides a real opportunity to facilitate understanding of their behavioral responses. This study aimed to characterize the grazing activity and protein\u2013energy requirements of grazing dairy goats in a Mediterranean woodland in northern Morocco by combining two sensors, the Global Positioning System (GPS) and three axis accelerometers. An experiment was conducted in a representative woodland with eight dairy goats. Measurements were undertaken during the three main grazing seasons (spring, summer, and autumn) for two consecutive and contrasting years. Grazing activity parameters were assessed using GPS collars and leg position sensors. The results showed that grazing time was higher in spring (57% and 59%) than in summer (39% and 36%) and autumn (41% and 45%), respectively, for the dry and wet years (p &lt; 0.001). During the two studied years, the daily horizontal distance traveled by the goats increased from spring (about 4.5 km) to summer (about 6.5 km) and autumn (about 7.4 km), while greater daily vertical distances were recorded over similar distances during summer\u2013autumn. Several protein\u2013energy intakes that were insufficient to cover the requirements of the grazing goats were recorded, especially in summer. The combination of GPS collars and accelerometers contributed to a better understanding of the grazing activities of dairy goats in the studied Mediterranean woodland. These findings provide useful data on the protein\u2013energy balances of dairy goats and offer additional information that could be useful for herders and managers to enhance goat-feeding strategies and guarantee high-performance in the semi-extensive traditional goat farming system.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/s22155629","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,28]],"date-time":"2022-07-28T22:43:26Z","timestamp":1659048206000},"page":"5629","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Estimation of Grazing Activity of Dairy Goats Using Accelerometers and Global Positioning System"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7023-7439","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Youssef","family":"Chebli","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Tangier, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, BP 415 Rabat Principale, Rabat 10090, Morocco"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0320-0123","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Samira","family":"El Otmani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Tangier, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, BP 415 Rabat Principale, Rabat 10090, Morocco"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1831-1440","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jean-Luc","family":"Hornick","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Management of Animal Resources, FARAH, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Li\u00e8ge, 4000 Li\u00e8ge, Belgium"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6974-4313","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"J\u00e9r\u00f4me","family":"Bindelle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Precision Livestock and Nutrition Unit, TERRA Teaching and Research Center, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Li\u00e8ge, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1416-3305","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jean-Fran\u00e7ois","family":"Cabaraux","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Management of Animal Resources, FARAH, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Li\u00e8ge, 4000 Li\u00e8ge, Belgium"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6802-9350","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mouad","family":"Chentouf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Regional Center of Agricultural Research of Tangier, National Institute of Agricultural Research, Avenue Ennasr, BP 415 Rabat Principale, Rabat 10090, Morocco"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"144","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smallrumres.2006.01.004","article-title":"Foraging behaviour of the newly introduced Boer goat breed in a Mediterranean woodland: A research observation","volume":"69","author":"Aharon","year":"2007","journal-title":"Small Rumin. Res."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaridenv.2014.04.007","article-title":"Effect of grazing and season on the chemical composition of Mediterranean shrub species in Do\u00f1ana Natural Park, Spain","volume":"108","author":"Joffre","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Arid Environ."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chebli, Y., El Otmani, S., Chentouf, M., Hornick, J.L., Bindelle, J., and Cabaraux, J.F. (2020). Foraging behavior of goats browsing in southern Mediterranean forest rangeland. Animals, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/ani10020196"},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"181","DOI":"10.1016\/S0921-4488(99)00096-6","article-title":"The physiological basis of adaptation in goats to harsh environments","volume":"35","author":"Silanikove","year":"2000","journal-title":"Small Rumin. Res."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"Arsenos, G., Gelasakis, A.I., and Pinopoulos, S. (2014, January 13\u201315). Description and typology of dairy goat farms in Greece. Proceedings of the 4th ISOFAR Scientific Conference, Istanbul, Turkey."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8","DOI":"10.1016\/j.livsci.2018.10.002","article-title":"Relationships among nutritive value of selected forages, diet composition and milk quality in goats grazing in a Mediterranean woody rangeland","volume":"218","author":"Manousidis","year":"2018","journal-title":"Livest. Sci."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2768","DOI":"10.5897\/AJAR2015.10170","article-title":"Characterization of goat production systems and trait preferences of goat keepers in Bench Maji zone, south western Ethiopia","volume":"11","author":"Fantahun","year":"2016","journal-title":"Afr. J. Agric. Res."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"23","DOI":"10.1016\/j.apgeog.2018.10.006","article-title":"Forest and silvopastoral cover changes and its drivers in northern Morocco","volume":"101","author":"Chebli","year":"2018","journal-title":"Appl. Geogr."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smallrumres.2011.09.009","article-title":"Foraging selectivity of three goat breeds in a Mediterranean shrubland","volume":"102","author":"Glasser","year":"2012","journal-title":"Small Rumin. Res."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"142","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smallrumres.2016.11.007","article-title":"Grazing behavior, forage selection and diet composition of goats in a Mediterranean woody rangeland","volume":"145","author":"Manousidis","year":"2016","journal-title":"Small Rumin. Res."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chebli, Y., El Otmani, S., Chentouf, M., Hornick, J.L., and Cabaraux, J.F. (2021). Temporal variations in chemical composition, in vitro digestibility, and metabolizable energy of plant species browsed by goats in southern Mediterranean forest rangeland. Animals, 11.","DOI":"10.3390\/ani11051441"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.anifeedsci.2004.10.016","article-title":"Tropical foliages: Effect of presentation method and species on intake by goats","volume":"118","author":"Van","year":"2005","journal-title":"Anim. Feed Sci. Techno."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"271","DOI":"10.1016\/j.livsci.2006.08.013","article-title":"Comparison of grazing behaviour, dietary overlap and performance in non- lactating domestic ruminants on marginal heathland areas","volume":"106","author":"Celaya","year":"2007","journal-title":"Livest. Sci."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.1016\/j.anifeedsci.2010.12.004","article-title":"Seasonal variation in chemical composition of native forages, grazing behaviour and some blood metabolites of Small East African goats in a semi-arid area of Tanzania","volume":"164","author":"Safari","year":"2011","journal-title":"Anim. Feed Sci. Technol."},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"74","DOI":"10.3390\/ruminants2010004","article-title":"Forage availability and quality, and feeding behaviour of indigenous goats grazing in a Mediterranean silvopastoral system","volume":"2","author":"Chebli","year":"2022","journal-title":"Ruminants"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105027","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compag.2019.105027","article-title":"Behavior classification of goats using 9-axis multi sensors: The effect of imbalanced datasets on classification performance","volume":"166","author":"Sakai","year":"2019","journal-title":"Comput. Electron. Agric."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.1016\/j.applanim.2005.08.011","article-title":"Classifying cattle jaw movements: Comparing IGER behaviour recorder and acoustic techniques","volume":"98","author":"Ungar","year":"2006","journal-title":"Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci."},{"key":"ref_18","unstructured":"Solomon, S., Qin, D., Manning, M., Chen, Z., Marquis, M., Averyt, K.B., Tignor, M., and Miller, H.L. (2007). Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis, Cambridge University Press. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chebli, Y., EL Otmani, S., Elame, F., Moula, N., Chentouf, M., Hornick, J.-L., and Cabaraux, J.-F. (2021). Silvopastoral system in Morocco: Focus on their importance, strategic functions, and recent changes in the Mediterranean side. Sustainability, 131.","DOI":"10.3390\/su131910744"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"403","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaridenv.2009.09.025","article-title":"Seasonal space-time dynamics of cattle behavior and mobility among Maasai pastoralists in semi-arid Kenya","volume":"74","author":"Butt","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Arid Environ."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"234","DOI":"10.2307\/4003721","article-title":"Seasonal variation of locomotion and energy expenditure in goats under range grazing conditions","volume":"50","author":"Lachica","year":"1997","journal-title":"J. Range Manag."},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"Direction R\u00e9gionale de l\u2019Agriculture de Tanger-T\u00e9touan (DRATT) (2019, July 08). Monographie de la R\u00e9gion du Nord du Maroc. Rapports et Donn\u00e9es Statistiques sur l\u2019Agriculture et l\u2019Elevage, Available online: https:\/\/www.agriculture.gov.ma\/fr\/region\/tanger-tetouan-al-hoceima\/."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"221","DOI":"10.1017\/S0021859698005577","article-title":"Selection of diets by dual-purpose Mamber goats in Mediterranean woodland","volume":"131","author":"Kababya","year":"1998","journal-title":"J. Agric. Sci."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"339","DOI":"10.1071\/AN14540","article-title":"Continuous bite monitoring: A method to assess the foraging dynamics of herbivores in natural grazing conditions","volume":"55","author":"Meuret","year":"2015","journal-title":"Anim. Prod. Sci."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"309","DOI":"10.1071\/AN14415","article-title":"How French shepherds create meal sequences to stimulate intake and optimise use of forage diversity on rangeland","volume":"55","author":"Meuret","year":"2015","journal-title":"Anim. Prod. Sci."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"265","DOI":"10.2527\/jas1964.231265x","article-title":"Symposium on nutrition of forages and pastures: Collecting forage samples representative of ingested material of grazing animals for nutritional studies","volume":"23","author":"Cook","year":"1964","journal-title":"J. Anim. Sci."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"90","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smallrumres.2014.04.005","article-title":"Selective behavior of Creole goats in response to the functional heterogeneity of native forage species in the central Monte desert, Argentina","volume":"120","author":"Egea","year":"2014","journal-title":"Small Rumin. Res."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"159","DOI":"10.1080\/09712119.2009.9707053","article-title":"Effects of stocking rate, breed, and stage of production on energy expenditure and activity of meat goat does on pasture","volume":"36","author":"Beker","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Appl. Anim. Res."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.1016\/j.livsci.2016.10.005","article-title":"Factors influencing estimates of heat energy associated with activity by grazing meat goats","volume":"193","author":"Brassard","year":"2016","journal-title":"Livest. Sci."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"225","DOI":"10.1016\/j.livsci.2011.03.034","article-title":"Effects of night-locking and stage of production on forage intake, digestion, behavior, and energy utilization by meat goat does grazing grass\/legume pasture","volume":"140","author":"Puchala","year":"2011","journal-title":"Livest. Sci."},{"key":"ref_31","unstructured":"National Research Council (NRC) (1981). Nutrient Requirements of Goats: Angora, Dairy, and Meat Goats in Temperate and Tropical Countries, National Academy Press."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"179","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smallrumres.2008.07.016","article-title":"Methods to estimate the energy expenditure of goats: From the lab to the field","volume":"79","author":"Lachica","year":"2008","journal-title":"Small Rumin. Res."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smallrumres.2005.05.002","article-title":"Energy expenditure of walk-in grassland for small ruminants","volume":"59","author":"Lachica","year":"2005","journal-title":"Small Rumin. Res."},{"key":"ref_34","unstructured":"Steel, R.G.D.A., and Torrie, J.H. (1980). Principles and Procedures of Statistics, McGraw-Hill. [2nd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"139","DOI":"10.1080\/00288233.1998.9513297","article-title":"Chemical composition of some Iberian Mediterranean leguminous shrubs potentially useful for forage in seasonally dry areas","volume":"41","author":"Ceresuela","year":"1998","journal-title":"N. Z. J. Agric. Res."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"231","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smallrumres.2004.04.006","article-title":"Prediction of metabolizable energy requirements for maintenance and gain of preweaning, growing, and mature goats","volume":"53","author":"Luo","year":"2004","journal-title":"Small Rum. Res."},{"key":"ref_37","unstructured":"Solaiman, S.G. (2010). Ingestive behaviour, diet selection, and feed intake. Goat Science and Production, Wiley-Blackwell."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"129","DOI":"10.1016\/0040-5809(76)90040-X","article-title":"Optimal foraging: The marginal value theorem","volume":"9","author":"Charnov","year":"1976","journal-title":"Theor. Popul. Biol."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"355","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jaridenv.2008.10.013","article-title":"Grazing itineraries and forage selection of goats in the Al Jabal al Akhdar mountain range of northern Oman","volume":"73","author":"Schlecht","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Arid Environ."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"82","DOI":"10.1016\/j.livsci.2013.02.015","article-title":"Effects of stocking rate and physiological state of meat goats grazing grass\/forb pastures on forage intake, selection, and digestion, grazing behavior, and performance","volume":"154","author":"Askar","year":"2013","journal-title":"Livest. Sci."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"373","DOI":"10.1016\/j.livsci.2013.05.007","article-title":"Foraging behaviour of domestic herbivore species grazing on heathlands associated with improved pasture areas","volume":"155","author":"Ferreira","year":"2013","journal-title":"Livest. Sci."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"993","DOI":"10.1017\/S0021859617000132","article-title":"Behaviour of sheep freely grazed on G\u00f6k\u00e7eada Island (Turkey) rangeland reclaimed by different methods","volume":"155","author":"Tolu","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Agric. Sci."},{"key":"ref_43","first-page":"163","article-title":"Improving resilience against natural gastrointestinal nematode infections in browsing kids during the dry season in tropical Mexico","volume":"35","author":"Jacobs","year":"2006","journal-title":"Vet. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"128","DOI":"10.1016\/j.smallrumres.2015.08.020","article-title":"Feeding behavior of sheep and goats in a deciduous tropical forest during the dry season: The same menu consumed differently","volume":"133","year":"2015","journal-title":"Small Rumin. Res."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Chebli, Y., El Otmani, S., Hornick, J.-L., Keli, A., Bindelle, J., Chentouf, M., and Cabaraux, J.-F. (2022). Using GPS collars and sensors to investigate the grazing behavior and energy balance of goats browsing in a Mediterranean forest rangeland. Sensors, 22.","DOI":"10.3390\/s22030781"}],"container-title":["Sensors"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/22\/15\/5629\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T23:57:47Z","timestamp":1760140667000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1424-8220\/22\/15\/5629"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,27]]},"references-count":45,"journal-issue":{"issue":"15","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,8]]}},"alternative-id":["s22155629"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/s22155629","relation":{},"ISSN":["1424-8220"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1424-8220","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,7,27]]}}}