FAMACHA© Scores, Hematocrit, and Fecal Egg Counts in Canindé Goats: Seasonal Effects and Classification Agreement in a Predominantly Non-Anemic Herd

This study evaluated seasonal and FAMACHA©-group effects on hematocrit (HCT) and fecal egg counts (EPG) and, separately, quantified agreement between observed FAMACHA© scores and HCT-derived categories in Canindé goats raised under semiarid conditions. Analyses were restricted to 162 adult goats, assessed in both the rainy and dry seasons, yielding a balanced dataset of 324 observations (162 per season). Mean EPG was 327.16 ± 317.18 in the rainy season and 206.91 ± 323.32 in the dry season; corresponding log10(EPG + 1) means were 2.216 ± 0.742 and 1.516 ± 1.127. Random-intercept linear mixed models detected a season-by-FAMACHA©-group interaction for log-transformed EPG (p = 0.0105). For HCT, the interaction was not significant (p = 0.5186); the reduced additive model indicated an overall FAMACHA©-group effect (p = 0.0372), whereas the season effect was not significant (p = 0.0726). Exact category agreement was 2/324 (0.6%). Linearly weighted Cohen’s κ was 0.0001 (animal-cluster bootstrap 95% CI: 0.0000–0.0004), and unweighted κ was −0.0003 (95% CI: −0.0051–0.0067). No observation had HCT ≤22%; therefore, the absence of clinically anemic observations precluded estimation of sensitivity and a meaningful assessment of diagnostic accuracy across disease states. The near-zero agreement applies only to this predominantly non-anemic sample and may reflect restricted disease severity, breed-related mucosal-color variation, use of analyzer-derived HCT rather than spun packed cell volume, or a combination of these factors.