The objectives of this paper are to: define the thermal challenges that create negative animal responses during direct effect of solar radiation at grassland, to characterize those animal behaviors that they can be recognized and ameliorated. Twenty Saanen and twenty local Hair goats were used for determine to the adaptation mechanisms and the grazing behavior under an extensive system of a subtropical region at Eastern Mediterranean region of Turkey. Respiration and pulse rates, rectal and surface temperatures (from head, foot, back and udder skin) were taken four times a day (06.00 - 07.00; 12.00 -13.00; 16.00-17.00 and 00.00 - 01.00 h) twice a week from June to August-2008. Some behavioral aspects such as eating, ruminating, walking and lying times, as well as milk yields and consumed feed levels were regularly measured. Rectal temperatures, pulse and respiration rates, udder and head temperatures differed among groups. Rectal, head and udder temperatures and respiration and pulse rates increased from 08.00 to 12.00 h , and at 00.00 returned to the level reached at 08.00 for both groups. Hair goats showed smaller increases in all physiological measurements than the other group. Hair goats spent more time than Saanen goats, in terms of eating (p<0.01) and walking (p<0.01), but less time lying (p<0.01) and ruminating (p<0.01). Thus, Hair goats grazed more (p<0.01) than the Saanen goats. But Saanen goats ate more concentrate when they returned to barn. Ultimately, the Saanen goats, in spite of having heat stress under the hot and humid climate, had higher milk yield than native Hair goats. As underlined previous studies the goal should be improving herd performance; therefore the economical production traits of goats and their ability to adapt to environmental stress is crucial and a study based on behavioral characteristics and animal welfare should taken into consideration for this aim.
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