Effect of concentrate intake on hay intake and eating behavior in steers.
1994
Morita S. | Nishino S.
Four Holstein steers were assigned randomly to a 4 x 4 Latin square with the following restricted amounts of concentrate offered: 0, 30, 50 and 75g per metabolic body size (MBS), in order to examine the voluntary intake of low-quality grass hay, and also changes in eating and ruminating behavior. The voluntary hay intake was highest in the 30g treatment, and lowest in the 75g treatment. Meals were separated by eating intervals of no more than 4 minutes, regardless of concentrate intake, by examining the distribution of length of eating bouts and inter-bout intervals. The time spent on meals was longest and the number of meals was lowest in the 30g treatment. The eating rate of hay did not differ between the treatments. The time spent on rumination was longest in the 30g treatment. The latent period of rumination activity after the diet was offered was longest in the 0 g treatment. The time spent on meals within 3 hours after feeding was longest in the 0 g treatment. The time spent on meals from 3 hours after feeding to the next feeding was longest in the 30g treatment. In both periods, the time spent on meals was shortest in the 75g treatment. There was no relationship between the time spent on rumination periods and that on the preceding meal, but there was positive correlation between the time spent on rumination periods and that spent on the following meal. From these results, the effect of concentrate intake on hay eating behavior changed with time after feeding, and a small supplement of concentrate was necessary to increase the daily hay intake, since the protein content was low.
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