Search

The objective of the present on-farm study was to evaluate the adequacy of existing models in predicting the pasture herbage DM intake (PDMI) of lactating dairy cows grazing semi-natural grasslands. The prediction adequacy of 13 empirical and semi-mechanistic models, which were predominantly developed to represent stall-fed cows or cows grazing high-quality pastures, were evaluated using the mean bias, relative prediction error (RPE), and partitioning of mean square error of prediction, where models with an RPE ≤ 20% were considered adequate. The reference dataset comprised n = 233 individual animal observations from nine commercial farms in South Germany with a mean milk production, DM intake, and PDMI (arithmetic means ± one SD) of 24 kg/d, (±5.6), 21 kg/d (±3.2), and 12 kg/d (±5.1), respectively. Despite their adaptation to grazing conditions, the behaviour-based and semi-mechanistic grazing-based models had the lowest prediction adequacy among the evaluated models. Their underlying empirical equations likely did not fit the grazing and production conditions of low-input farms using semi-natural grasslands for grazing. The semi-mechanistic stall-based model Mertens II with slight modifications achieved the highest and a satisfactory modelling performance (RPE = 13.4%) when evaluated based on the mean observed PDMI, i.e., averaged across animals per farm and period (n = 28). It also allowed for the adequate prediction of PDMI on individual cows (RPE = 18.5%) that were fed

The yak (Bos grunniens), an indigenous herbivore raised at altitudes between 3,000 and 5,000 m above sea level, is closely linked to more than 40 ethnic communities and plays a vital role in the ecological stability, livelihood security, socio-economic development, and ethnic cultural traditions in the Asian highlands. They provide the highlanders with meat, milk, fibres, leather and dung (fuel). They are also used as pack animals to transport goods, for travel and ploughing, and are important in many religious and traditional ceremonies. The Asian highlands are known for an extremely, harsh environment, namely low air temperature and oxygen content and high ultraviolet light and winds. Pasture availability fluctuates greatly, with sparse pasture of poor quality over the long seven-month cold winter. After long-term natural and artificial selections, yaks have adapted excellently to the harsh conditions: 1) by genomics, with positively selected genes involved in hypoxia response and energy metabolism; 2) anatomically, including a short tongue with a weak sense of taste, and large lung and heart; 3) physiologically, by insensitivity to hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, maintaining foetal haemoglobin throughout life, and low heart rate and heat production in the cold season; 4) behaviourlly, by efficient grazing and selecting forbs with high nutritional contents; 5) by low nitrogen and energy requirements for maintenance and low methane emission and nitrogen excretion, namely, ‘Low-Carbon’ and ‘Nitrogen-Saving’ traits; 6) by harboring unique rumen microbiota with a distinct maturation pattern, that has co-evolved with host metabolism. This review aims to provide an overview of the comprehensive adaptive strategies of the yak to the severe conditions of the highlands. A better understanding of these strategies that yaks employ to adapt to the harsh environment could be used in improving their production, breeding and management, and gaining benefits in ecosystem service and a more resilient livelihood to climate change in the Asian highlands.

Feeding behaviour plays a significant role in promoting good animal health and welfare. It is also reflective of the quality and quantity of available feed. In fact, grazing livestock do not select their feed randomly, rather their behaviour is influenced by the texture, taste, and smell of each pasture species. Although taste agents are often used to modify feed intake for captive livestock, the effect on the feeding behaviour of grazing livestock has not yet been extensively evaluated in native grasslands. To address this gap in knowledge, herein, we sprayed three types of taste agents—salty (SA), sweet (SW), and bitter (BT)—on alpine meadows to investigate their effect on the grazing behaviour of yaks (Bos Grunniens) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP). Behavioural observations showed that grazing was concentrated primarily in the morning and afternoon, while ruminating/resting peaked at noon; however, the diurnal behavioural patterns of grazing yaks were not affected by the taste agents. Application of the SA agent significantly increased the yaks’ grazing time, bites per minute, bites per step, time per feeding station, and steps per feeding station, while significantly reducing walking time, steps per minute, and number of feeding stations per minute. Meanwhile, application of the SW agent significantly increased the yaks’ time per feeding station, however, significantly reduced the steps per minute and number of feeding stations per minute. In contrast, the BT agent significantly increased the yaks’ walking time, steps per minute, and number of feeding stations per minute, while significantly reducing grazing time, bites per minute, bites per step, and time per feeding station. Application of the SA agent also significantly increased the intake of favoured, edible, and inedible forage, while the SW agent improved inedible forage intake, however, had a more subtle effect on favoured and edible forage intake. Meanwhile, the BT agent had an inhibitory effect on grazing intake. Hence, the structural equation model suggested that taste agents may directly or indirectly influence grazing behaviour by regulating feeding behaviour. Our findings provide a theoretical basis for using taste agents in grasslands to control the grazing behaviour of livestock and provide a method to promote the stability of grassland communities, while mitigating the degradation of grasslands in the QTP.

In order to determine the exploitation of grazing areas in the outskirts of Ouagadougou by cattle herds, the grazing behaviour of cows was monitored in five villages in these during three distinct seasons, namely wet, cool dry and hot dry season. A vegetation study including a census of the woody and herbaceous stratum of grazing areas allowed for an assessment of the pasture biomass availability during the wet season. Results of the monitoring of cattle herds showed that the land type grazed by cattle in the outskirts of the city varied depending on the season. While fallows and post-harvest fields constituted the main land type grazed by cattle in the wet and cool dry season, respectively, cattle herds exploited a variety of land types in the hot dry season. Consequently, cows travelled longer distances and spent more time on walking and browsing and less time on grazing in the hot dry season than in the cool dry and wet season. The pastoral value of grazing areas during the wet season, an important indicator for the quality of the grazing areas being based on the pastoral composition and the global quality index, was estimated at 61.1%. The biomass was mainly dominated by annual grasses and legumes. The total annual above-ground biomass produced amounted to 575 kg DM ha^-1, equivalent to a qualified forage production of 324 kg DM ha^-1 and a carrying capacity of 0.084 TLU ha^-1. In total, over 100 different herbaceous and 48 woody species were identified, each belonging to 20 families. Despite a high diversity of woody and herbaceous species, it is recommended to reduce the grazing pressure of cattle herds in the outskirts of Ouagadougou by addressing alternative feeding strategies.

This study investigated the variation in daily time spent grazing and rumination in spring-calved grazing dairy cows (n = 162) of three breeds, Holstein-Friesian (HFR), Jersey (JE), and KiwiCross (KC) with different breeding worth index, and in different years of lactation (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th). The cows were managed through a rotational grazing system and milked once a day at 05:00 a.m. The cows grazed mainly pasture and received supplementary feeds depending on the season. Automated AfiCollar device continuously monitored and recorded grazing time and rumination time of the individual cows throughout the lactation period for three study years (Year-1, Year-2, Year-3) with 54 cows per year. A general linear mixed model fitted with breed × lactation year with days in milk (DIM), breeding worth (BW) index value, individual cow, season, and feed, and their interactions was performed in SAS. Variance partitioning was used to quantify the effect size of study factors and their interactions. Individual cows, DIM, and BW (except Year-3) had effects on grazing and rumination times throughout the study years. Grazing time and rumination time were different for different seasons due to varying supplementary feeds. Grazing time varied among breeds in Year-2 and Year-3, and among lactation years only in Year-1. Although rumination time differed among breeds in Year-3, it remained the same within different lactation years. Grazing time and rumination time had a negative relationship with each other, and their regression lines varied for different seasons. The total variance explained by the model in grazing time was 36–39%, mainly contributed by the individual cow (12–20%), season (5–12%), supplementary feed (2–6%), breed (1–5%), and lactation year (1–6%). The total variance explained in rumination was 40–41%, mainly contributed by the individual cow (16–24%), season (2–17%), supplementary feed (1–2%), breed (2–8%), and lactation year (~1%). These findings could contribute to improving the measures for feed resource management during different seasons over the lactation period for a mixed herd comprising JE, HFR and KC breeds in different years of lactation.

An understanding of the processes involved in grazing behaviour is a prerequisite for the design of efficient grassland management systems. The purpose of managing the grazing process is to identify sward structures that can maximize animal forage daily intake and optimize grazing time. Our aim was to evaluate the effect of different grazing management strategies on foraging behaviour and herbage intake by sheep grazing Italian ryegrass under rotational stocking. The experiment was carried out in 2015 in southern Brazil. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with two grazing management strategies and four replicates. The grazing management treatments were a traditional rotational stocking (RT), with pre- and post-grazing sward heights of 25 and 5 cm, respectively, and a ‘Rotatinuous’ stocking (RN) with pre- and post-grazing sward heights of 18 and 11 cm, respectively. Male sheep with an average live weight of 32 ± 2.3 kg were used. As intended, the pre- and post-grazing sward heights were according to the treatments. The pre-grazing leaf/stem ratio of the Italian ryegrass pasture did not differ between treatments (P > 0.05) (~2.87), but the post-grazing leaf/stem ratio was greater (P < 0.001) in the RN than in the RT treatment (1.59 and 0.76, respectively). The percentage of the non-grazed area was greater (P < 0.01) in post-grazing for RN compared with RT treatment, with an average of 29.7% and 3.49%, respectively. Herbage nutritive value was greater for the RN than for the RT treatment, with greater CP and lower ADF and NDF contents. The total time spent grazing, ruminating and resting did not differ between treatments (P > 0.05), with averages of 439, 167 and 85 min, respectively. The bite rate, feeding stations per min and steps per min by sheep were greater (P < 0.05) in the RN than in the RT treatment. The grazing time per hour and the bite rate were greater (P < 0.05) in the afternoon than in the morning in both treatments. The daily herbage intake by sheep grazing Italian ryegrass was greater (P < 0.05) in the RN than in the RT treatment (843.7 and 707.8 g organic matter/sheep, respectively). Our study supports the idea that even though the grazing time was not affected by the grazing management strategies when the animal behaviour responses drive management targets, such as in ‘Rotatinuous’ stocking, the sheep herbage intake is maximized, and the grazing time is optimized.

This study evaluated the effects of post-grazing sward height (PGSH, 4 or 6 cm) on herbage production, its nutritive value, dry matter (DM) intake, grazing behaviour and growth of early- (EM) and late-maturing (LM) breed suckler steers (n = 72), and the subsequent effect of indoor finishing diet (grass silage + 3.8 kg concentrate DM/head daily (SC), or grass silage only (SO)) on performance and carcass traits. Animals rotationally grazed pasture for 196 days, followed by indoor finishing for 119 days. At pasture, daily live-weight gain (LWG) was 0.10 kg greater for PGSH-6 than PGSH-4, resulting in a tendency for carcass weight to be 11 kg heavier. Although EM had a 0.10 kg greater daily LWG at pasture than LM, carcass weight did not differ between the genotypes. There was a genotype × PGSH interaction for carcass fat score, whereby there was no difference between EM-4 (8.83, 15-point scale) and EM-6 (8.17), but LM-6 (7.28) was greater than LM-4 (6.33). Although concentrate supplementation during indoor finishing increased carcass weight (+37 kg) and fat score (1.75 units), the majority of steers (83% of EM and 78% of LM) achieved a commercially-acceptable carcass fat score (6.78) at slaughter in the grass-forage-only system.

This study evaluated the accuracy of a sensor-based device (AfiCollar) to automatically monitor and record grazing and rumination behaviours of grazing dairy cows on a real-time basis. Multiparous spring-calved dairy cows (n = 48) wearing the AfiCollar were selected for the visual observation of their grazing and rumination behaviours. The total observation period was 36 days, divided into four recording periods performed at different times of the year, using 12 cows in each period. Each recording period consisted of nine daily observation sessions (three days a week for three consecutive weeks). A continuous behaviour monitoring protocol was followed to visually observe four cows at a time for each daily observation session, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Overall, 144 observations were collected and the data were presented as behaviour activity per daily observation session. The behaviours visually observed were also recorded through an automated AfiCollar device on a real-time basis over the observation period. Automatic recordings and visual observations were compared with each other using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r), Concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), and linear regression. Compared to visual observation (VO), AfiCollar (AC) showed slightly higher (10%) grazing time and lower (4%) rumination time. AC results and VO results had strong associations with each other for grazing time (r = 0.91, CCC = 0.71) and rumination time (r = 0.89, CCC = 0.80). Regression analysis showed a significant linear relationship between AC and VO for grazing time (R2 = 0.83, p < 0.05) and rumination time (R2 = 0.78, p < 0.05). The relative prediction error (RPE) values for grazing time and rumination time were 0.17 and 0.40, respectively. Overall, the results indicated that AfiCollar is a reliable device to accurately monitor and record grazing and rumination behaviours of grazing dairy cows, although, some minor improvements can be made in algorithm calibrations to further improve its accuracy.

Steer meat production in northern Spain is deficient to attend market demand. This research aimed to compare the foraging behaviour and production of yearling steers from two local breeds differing in body weight (BW), Asturian Valley (AV, 372 kg) and Asturian Mountain (AM, 307 kg), grazing in summer pastures consisting of 70% grassland and 30% heathland. Bodyweight gains from a total of 42 steers were recorded during four grazing seasons (from June to October). In two years, in July and September, plant community selection and diet composition were estimated by direct observation and using faecal markers, respectively. Grazing time increased from July to September (488 vs. 557 min/day; p

In the Alps, many summer pastures are under-used due to the decreasing number of livestock. Optimizing the grazing management of heterogeneous pastures implies a better understanding of foraging habits of cattle. The aim of this study was to precise the relationships between cattle behaviour and the characteristics of the vegetation. The experiment was carried out on a pasture encroached by shrubs (mainly Alnus viridis) and composed of four contrasted vegetation units at 1800 m a.s.l. Four beef cows were monitored in a paddock of 2.9 ha by Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) during three rotations, in order to analyze the spatial and temporal occupation pattern. The open grasslands and, to a lesser extent, the tall herb community were significantly more visited than expected if cattle had foraged at random. The shrubby areas were far less visited than expected at random. The monitoring also revealed differences across rotations. Vegetation surveys were also performed to determine the specific contribution and the grazing frequency of the encountered plant species. The most eaten herbaceous plants were not necessarily those known to be the most palatable, even if graminoids were more selected than other plants. Leontodon hispidus, Agrostis capillaris, Festuca rubra, and Luzula sylvatica were the most selected species, whereas Veratrum album and Trollius europaeus were completely avoided. The consumed forage was of better quality than the forage collected at random and its nutrient content showed less variability and remained more constant over the three rotations. The results highlight that the selection processes exerted by cattle are important. They occur at different levels (species, vegetation type, in time) and confirm that an integrative approach is necessary for improving the understanding of cattle foraging behaviour in heterogeneous mountain pastures.

Grazing ruminant systems can be sustainably intensified by improving efficiency while reducing their environmental impact. The objective of the present study was to examine the potential of pastures differing in water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and crude protein (CP) contents to affect milk production and composition as well as the behaviour of cows grazing perennial ryegrass (PRG) swards. By modifying the nitrogen (N) fertilisation rate (83 and 250 kg/ha per year) and the defoliation frequency (two or three leaves per tiller) in combination with cultivar selection (high-sugar vs. standard cultivars), we obtained two swards differing in WSC and CP contents. The two contrasting swards were each grazed by six dairy cows in nine daily strips in autumn. Pasture samples were collected to determine herbage mass and quality. Cow behaviour was recorded by direct observation. Herbage offered and apparently consumed were similar between swards (averaging 37.3 and 18.2 kg/cow, respectively), although the residual was lower in the high-sugar sward (1735 vs. 2143 kg/ha). Cows spent less time grazing in the high-sugar sward (66.9% v. 71.6%), but the rumination times was similar (14.6%). Milk production and composition were similar between groups, suggesting that high-quality pastures would require a greater difference in nutritional composition to affect animal performance.

Due to its distinct properties, wild boar meat is considered a highly desirable consumer product, in a market that is expanding. Outdoor production is also favoured by consumers who value animal welfare and environmental sustainability when choosing meat products. There is evidence that farms that include pasture for grazing typically have reduced feeding costs. Such production systems can also be more environmentally sustainable as the input (pasture) is inedible to humans, compared to conventional indoor systems, which use human-edible feeds (e.g., soya). However, some wild boar farms have performed poorly compared to those rearing other swine such as hybrid wild boar and domestic pigs. Diet is central to all livestock production and is likely a significant influencing factor of wild boar performance, both in terms of forage consumption and nutritional composition. Other factors may also influence performance, such as weather, behaviour and grazing management. Wild boar production systems hold their own intrinsic value in a growing marketplace. However, information gathered through the study of wild boar has external applications in informing outdoor domestic pig production systems to encourage the use of pasture as part of the habitat of domestic pigs.

The principles of domestic herbivore nutrition are well understood and have been developed through detailed physiological studies, although methods to accurately measure field-based intake still challenge herbivore nutrition research. Nutritional ecology considers an animal's interaction with the environment based on its nutritional demands. Although there are a number of theoretical frameworks that can be used to explore nutritional ecology, optimal foraging provides a suitable starting point. Optimal foraging models have progressed from deterministic techniques to spatially explicit agent-based simulation methods. The development of optimal foraging modelling points towards opportunities for field-based research to explore behavioural preferences within studies that have an array of nutritional choices that vary both spatially and temporally. A number of techniques including weighing animals, weighing herbage, using markers (both natural and artificial) and sampling forage, using oesophageal-fistulated animals, have been used to determine intake in the field. These intake measurement techniques are generally most suited to studies that occur over a few days and with relatively small (often less than 10) groups of animals. Over the last 10 years, there have been a number of advances in automated behavioural monitoring technology (e.g. global positioning systems) to track animal movement. A number of recent studies have integrated detailed spatial assessments of vegetation using on-ground sampling and satellite remote sensing; these data have been linked to behavioural preferences of herbivores. Although the recent studies still do not address nutritional interactions over months or years, they do point to methods that could be used to address landscape scale nutritional interactions. Emerging telemetry techniques used to monitor herbivore behavioural preferences and also to determine detailed landscape vegetation mapping provide the opportunity for future herbivore nutritional ecology studies.

The benefits of using white clover in pastures have been widely recognised for many years. However, clover is perceived as being unreliable because of its typically low content, which is spatially and temporally variable, in mixed pastures. One proposed solution to increase the proportion of clover in the diet of grazing animals and composition in the pasture is to spatially separate clover from grass within the same field. In a field experiment ryegrass and white clover were grown in fine mixtures, and in pure alternating strips of ryegrass and clover of 1.5 m, 3 m or 18 m width within a field. Pastures were grazed for two grazing periods of 9 and 12 weeks, and measurements of sward surface height (SSH), herbage mass and composition and clover morphology were taken. Grazing behaviour was also observed. Results showed that spatial separation in the long term, when compared with a fine mixture, increased clover availability (18% to 30% v. 9%, based on standing dry matter) and was not grazed to extinction. Ewes maintained their preference for clover throughout the experiment (selection coefficient 2 to 5), which resulted in a reduction in the SSH of clover in monocultures to

One of the main aims of pasture-based systems of dairy production is to increase the proportion of grazed grass in the diet. This is most easily achieved by increasing the number of grazing days. However, periods of inclement weather conditions can reduce the number of days at pasture. The two objectives of this experiment were: (i) to investigate the effect of restricting pasture access time on animal production, grazing behaviour and dry matter intake (DMI) of spring calving dairy cows in early lactation; and (ii) to establish whether silage supplementation is required when cows return indoors after short grazing periods. In all, 52 Holstein–Friesian spring calving dairy cows were assigned to a four-treatment study from 25 February to 26 March 2008. The four treatments were: full-time access to pasture (22H; control); 4.5-h- pasture access after both milkings (2 × 4.5H); 3-h pasture access after both milkings (2 × 3H); 3-h pasture access after both milkings with silage supplementation by night (2 × 3SH). All treatments were offered 14.4 kg DM/cow per day herbage from swards, with a mean pre-grazing yield of 1739 kg DM/ha above 4 cm, – and were supplemented with 3 kg DM/cow per day of concentrate. The 2 × 3SH treatment was offered an additional 4 kg DM/cow of grass silage by night. Restricting pasture access time (2 × 3H, 2 × 3SH and 2 × 4.5H) had no effect on milk (28.3 kg/cow per day) and solids-corrected milk (27.2 kg/cow per day) yield when compared with the treatment grazing full time. Supplementing animals with grass silage did not increase milk production when compared with all other treatments. Milk protein concentration tended to be lower (P = 0.08; 32.2 g/kg) for the 2 × 3SH animals when compared with the 22H animals (33.7 g/kg). The grass DMI of the 2 × 3SH treatment was significantly lower (−2.3 kg DM/cow per day) than all other treatments (11.9 kg DM/cow per day), yet the total DMI of these animals was highest (16.6 kg DM/cow per day). The 22H cows grazed for 481 min/cow per day, which is significantly longer than all other treatments. The 2 × 3H animals grazed for 98% of the time, whereas the 2 × 3SH grazed for 79% of their time at pasture. Restricting pasture access time did not affect end body weight or body condition score. The results of this study indicate that restricting pasture access time of dairy cows in early lactation does not affect milk production performance. Furthermore, supplementing cows with grass silage does not increase milk production but reduces grazing efficiency.

Neste estudo avaliou-se a influência da variação nas ofertas de fitomassa ao longo das diferentes estações de crescimento na dinâmica da pastagem e no rendimento animal. Os tratamentos consistiram de quatro ofertas fixas de fitomassa (4,0; 8,0; 12,0 e 16,0%, expresso em kg de MS/100 kg de PV por dia) ao longo da estação de crescimento e três ofertas variáveis (8,0% na primavera e 12,0% no restante da estação de crescimento; 12,0% na primavera e 8,0% no restante da estação de crescimento; e 16,0% na primavera e 12,0% no restante da estação de crescimento). O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos completamente casualizados com duas repetições. O método de pastejo foi o contínuo com lotação variável, utilizando-se a técnica de put-and-take. As produções primária e secundária e o comportamento de novilhos de sobreano foram medidos regularmente. Os resultados comprovaram que situações de oferta de forragem muito baixa, como no tratamento 4,0%, penalizam fortemente o desempenho dos animais. O tratamento de 8,0% na primavera e de 12,0% no restante da estação de crescimento promoveu bons ganhos de peso, sugerindo que esta prática pode ser interessante quando se pretende manipular a estrutura da pastagem. Os resultados do comportamento ingestivo dos animais indicaram que, diferentemente do que ocorre em pastagens cultivadas, a oferta de forragem e a massa de forragem não explicam suficientemente o tempo de pastejo dos animais. Em vegetações heterogêneas, deve-se considerar a diversidade estrutural na caracterização da pastagem visando sua associação ao comportamento em pastejo.This study tested the hypothesis that variation of herbage allowance during the growing season influences pasture dynamics and grazing behaviour. Treatments consisted of four fixed herbage allowances during the entire year (4.0, 8.0, 12.0, and 16.0%, expressed as kg DM/100 kg live weight/day) and three variable herbage allowances (8% in spring and 12% along the rest of the grazing season; 12% spring and 8% along the rest of the grazing season; 16% in spring and 12% along the rest of the grazing season). A randomized complete block design was used, with two replicates. It was used a variable continuous stocking method, using the "put-and-take" technique. Primary and secondary productions were measured, as well as steer grazing behaviour. Results showed that low herbage allowance, as in 4% treatment, jeopardize animal performance. Herbage allowance of 8% in spring and 12% along the rest of the grazing season promoted good animal performance, suggesting this management could be interesting when manipulating sward structure. Concerning grazing behaviour, results indicated that differently from what occurs in cultivated pastures, herbage allowance or herbage mass did not explain sufficiently the grazing time observed. It was concluded that in heterogeneous vegetation, it must be considered the structural diversity on pasture characterization in order to link that with grazing behaviour.

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of day or night grazing on behaviour by swamp buffaloes. A grazing trial was conducted over 42 days in the late rainy season, during September to November2005 at Surin Livestock Research and Breeding Center, Surin province. The experimental period was divided into two 21-day periods. Twelve 2-year-old swamp buffalo heifers were allocated to four groups, eachcontaining three heifers, with the mean group weights being as similar as possible. Each group was allowed to graze either from 06:20 to 18:00 h (daytime treatment) or from 18:20 to 06:00 h (nighttime treatment) infour separate paddocks, each of 5 rai, using a cross-over design. When not at pasture the animals in each group were kept in the common corral with free access to fresh drinking water and mineral blocks. Individualanimal activity was recorded by visual observation at 1-min intervals during the period at pasture. Individual groups within each period were treated as replicates. Differences between group means weretested using MIXED procedure of SAS.The buffaloes on daytime treatment spent longer (P

Central Kalimantan is one of the province passed by equator line. The temperature is relatively hot, during the day time is 32 oC and 23 oC during night time. The average rainfall index is 1900-3100 mm per year. This province has remarkably wide peatland area with strong acidity, high organic matter, and low fertility for plant cultivation. Various existing vegetation can be used as feed. Goats are able to utilize many type of grasses, leaves and tree bark. They have high ability to adapt various environments and eat many type of plants. Due to their browsing ability, goats can utilize tall bushes. The objective of this experiment was to study grazing behaviour of Crossed Local goats. The Pattern of grazing behaviour of goats can be used as a basis for managing animals and range land on the peatland areas. The experiment used 5 male goats aged 8-12 months and 5 females aged 10-24 months. Recording methode used One Zero with 15 minutes intervals. Data were analysed using Comparison of Two Samples or t-Test (t student) at level 5%. Result of research indicated that the goat activity in day time (09.00-16.00) was dominated by grazing activity (male 66,28%, female 60,82%). The goats spent more time for eating in the morning and evening (09.00-10.00 and 13.00-16.00). Grazing rumination and resting activities during investigation between male and female were not significantly different. Browsing is the most activity observed compared to other activities. Crop types are diverse in peatland areas. The result show that sasendok vegetation (Plantago mayor), Delingu (Dianella ensifolia sp.) and Kelakai (Stenochlaena palustris) were the most preferred vegetation by the goats on the peatland areas.

El objetivo de este trabajo fue comparar tres técnicas para estimar el consumo de materia seca (CMS) de pasto estrella por vacas lecheras en pastoreo: n-alcanos, diferencia en masa forrajera y comportamiento al pastoreo. Para ello, se realizaron dos experimentos con un diseño experimental de cuadrado latino 4 x 4. En ambos experimentos se proporcionó 6 kg de un concentrado constituido de 81 % de maíz molido, 10 % de canola, 7 % de melaza y 2 % de urea más 0, 600, 900 y 1200 g de pulpa de café para cada tratamiento, respectivamente. En el experimento uno no existieron diferencias en el CMS de pasto estrella (P>0.05) entre n-alcanos y diferencia en masa forrajera con 2.9 y 3.3 kg de materia seca (MS) vaca-1 día-1. En el segundo experimento no existieron diferencias (P>0.05) entre n-alcanos y comportamiento al pastoreo en la estimación del CMS del pasto estrella con 6.7 y 6.3 kg de MS vaca-1 día-1. Los n-alcanos y diferencia en masa forrajera se relacionaron bien en el primer experimento (r2=0.80) y en el segundo experimento, los n-alcanos y comportamiento al pastoreo presentaron una relación baja con un r2 de 0.42. Se concluyó que la técnica de n-alcanos, fue la más precisa para conocer el consumo de pasto estrella, de vacas en pastoreo, y que las técnicas de comportamiento al pastoreo y por diferencia en masa forrajera resultaron menos precisas.  La adición de pulpa de café entre 15 y 20% no afectó el consumo de pasto estrella en vacas lecheras, por lo que el empleo de este subproducto es recomendable para reducir los costos de alimentación del ganado lechero.

Foi estudado o comportamento em pastejo, o desempenho ponderal e o nível de infestação parasitária em ovelhas da raça Suffolk, no período de 1994 a 1995, em Nova Odessa, SP. Comparou-se dois sistemas de manejo: pastejo restrito, onde os animais foram soltos às 9:50h e presos às 17:30h e pastejo em período integral, no qual os animais não eram recolhidos, tendo a disposição abrigo para passarem a noite. Foram utilizadas 34 fêmeas adultas no verão (17 em pastejo livre e 17 em pastejo restrito) e 42 fêmeas adultas no inverno (21 em pastejo livre e 21 em pastejo restrito). Trabalhou-se ainda com 12 animais traçadores em cada estação do ano, sendo metade em cada sistema de manejo visando a contagem de nematódeos no trato digestivo dos animais. Durante 3 dias consecutivos nos meses de janeiro/fevereiro (verão) e julho/agosto (inverno) estudou-se, através da observação dos animais, a cada 30 minutos entre as 7:00 e 17:30h, o hábito de pastejo (pastando ou não; na sombra ou no sol). Acompanhou-se o nível de infestação parasitária dos animais em cada sistema, pela contagem do OPG do rebanho e dos traçadores e nematódeos recuperados nos traçadores. Concluiu-se que a restrição do horário de pastejo isoladamente não propiciou um controle efetivo da infestação parasitária nos animais mostrando. A restrição do tempo de pastejo é compensada pela maior atividade dos animais nas horas mais quentes do dia, todavia este comportamento afetou o desempenho, resultando em menor ganho de peso. A maior disponibilidade de forragem, em relação ao consumo estimado, pode explicar a similaridade entre os tempos de pastejo verificados nos dois sistemas de manejo, tanto no verão como no inverno.Grazing behaviour, ponderal growth and level of parasitic infestation were studied in Suffolk breed sheep, from 1994 to 1995, in Nova Odessa, São Paulo. Two management systems were compared: restricted grazing, where the animals were released to the pastures at 9:50 a.m. and confined at 5:30 p.m., and 24 hour grazing, where the animals were maintained all the time in the paddocks, but with access to shelters. Thirty-four adult ewes were used in the summer period (17 under restricted grazing and 17 full-time grazing), and 42 ewes in the winter period (21 with restricted grazing and 21 full-time grazing). Also, for both seasons, 12 tracer animals, six in each grazing system, were used to obtain worm counts from their digestive tracts. For three consecutive days, grazing behaviour, that is, whether grazing or not, was observed in January/February (summer) and July/August (winter) at 30 minute intervals from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., also whether the animals stayed in the sun or shade, irrespective of whether they were grazing or not. The level of parasitic infestation was evaluated under each system by eggs per gram countings (EPG) of the herd and the tracer animals, as well as by larvae count. It was concluded that restriction of grazing time by itself does not provide any effective control of parasitic infestation in sheep, however a better control was obtained in the summer period. Restricted grazing time was compensated by the greater activity of the animals during the hotter hours of the day, however, this behaviour affected the animal performance, resulting in lower weight gains. Greater forage availability in relation to estimated consumption may explain the similarity between the grazing times observed in both management systems, either in the summer or in the winter.

ABSTRACT The effect was evaluated of energy supplementation with ground maize grain on the performance and behaviour of Anglo-Nubian goats under a silvopastoral system of leucena and tropical grasses. The experiment was carried out in an area of Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit.) intercropped with a herbaceous layer having a predominance of tropical grasses (Tifton 85, Andropogon and Guinea). A completely randomised design with four treatments and five replications was adopted. Growing goats were used; the control group being fed only on pasture, and the other groups supplemented with ground maize at 0.5, 0.9 and 1.3% of live weight. Supplementation reduced grazing time and increased rumination and idle time; although the goats spent approximately 85% of the time grazing on grasses, indicating a preference for this forage. Energy supplementation increased the weight gain per animal per unit area. Under a silvopastoral system of leucaena and tropical grasses, goats prefer the grasses, however, grazing on the legume results in a protein intake that justifies additional energy input. The supplementation of goats under a silvopastoral system of tropical grasses and leucaena, with maize as an energy source at a rate of up to 1.3% of live weight, influences feeding behaviour, having a favourable effect on animal performance.