Effect of supplementation method on grazing behaviour of hill ewes

1999 ◽  
Vol 1999 ◽  
pp. 131-131
Author(s):  
A. Waterhouse ◽  
S.P. Marsh

Supplementary feeding of hill ewes during pregnancy is an important aspect of sheep management. Two broad groups of feed are given. Firstly, there is feed offered on a restricted basis, daily. Secondly, there are feeds offered on an ad libitum basis, of which feedblocks are the most important form for hill ewes. Some studies have shown interaction between feedblock intake and social behaviour but little is known about foraging behaviour.The study used three, 3 ha (50m x 600m) paddocks side by side, rising steeply from 280 to 490 metres above sea level on a semi-natural acid grassland hill pasture. Each plot was divided with markers on the fence line into 15 divisions of 40m wide, rising in altitude up the plot, each referred to as grids later. In Plot 1, 10 hill ewes were offered 150 g/head of pelleted molassed sugar beet feed at 10 am each day at grid 1 (i.e. at the bottom of the slope).

1987 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 211 ◽  
Author(s):  
PJ Holst

Border Leicester x Merino ewes (body condition score 2.6-3.0) grazing short pastures were given feed supplements during lambing, to examine effects on lamb survival. Supplementary feeding of poor quality lucerne hay, good quality lucerne hay or oaten grain, each given ad libitum, began 3 days prior to the start of the 4-week lambing period and continued to the end of lambing. One third of the ewes had twins. Lamb marking percentage for the unsupplemented treatment was 108.5% compared with 109.9, 118.1 and 111.7% for the poor quality lucerne hay, good quality lucerne hay and oaten grain treatments respectively. Of twin-bearing ewes given good quality hay, 60% reared both lambs, compared with 48-49% of those given poor quality hap or grain (n.s.) and 36% of those not supplemented (P < 0.05). Supplements did not improve the survival rate of single lambs. Overall survival (combining birth types) of lambs was also significantly improved by a supplement of good quality hay. The observed differences in twin survival were associated with differences in ewe grazing behaviour. These results support recommendations that supplementary feeding of twin-bearing ewes approaching lambing with a body condition score of 2.6-3.0 will improve lamb survival and weaning weights.


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 24-24
Author(s):  
Megan Myerscough ◽  
Wes Chapple ◽  
William T Meteer ◽  
Daniel W Shike

Abstract The objectives were to analyze the effects of housing cow-calf pairs in drylots or pasture on calf performance and behavior through weaning. Simmental × Angus (2 yr; 108/yr; 81 ± 15.3 d postpartum) spring-calving cows were stratified by age, BW, BCS, and calf sex and allotted to six groups/yr. Groups were randomly allotted to 1 of 2 treatments: drylot (DL) or pasture (PAST). Calves in the drylot had ad libitum access to a diet consisting of corn silage, dried distillers grain, corn stalks, dry rolled corn, and soybean hulls. Calves on PAST received creep feed three weeks prior to weaning. Calf BW was measured on d 0, 55, and 110. Calves were fence-line weaned on d 110. Behavior was observed for two days after weaning. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Drylot calves had greater (P &lt; 0.01) BW at d 55 and 110. There was treatment by time interactions (P &lt; 0.01) for lying and eating on d 111. More PAST calves were lying at h 2 and 3 and eating at h 11 and 12. More DL calves were lying at h 9, 10, 11, and 12. More DL calves were eating at h 2 and tended to at h 3. There was also a treatment by time interaction (P &lt; 0.01) for vocalizations on d 111. More PAST calves vocalized at h 1, however, DL calves vocalized more at h 4 and tended to at h 5. There was treatment by time interactions (P &lt; 0.01) for eating and walking on d 112. More DL calves were eating at h 2, 3, 4, 7, and 9. More PAST calves were walking at h 1 and 2. There was also a treatment by time interaction (P &lt; 0.01) for vocalizations on d 112. More PAST calves vocalized at h 1 and 10. In conclusion, housing cow-calf pairs in drylots improved preweaning performance and altered postweaning behavior.


1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 ◽  
pp. 178-178
Author(s):  
A H Stewart ◽  
S A Edwards ◽  
V R Fowler

The once bred gilt system of production has a number of benefits in terms of feed efficiency and welfare, however the system relies on the production of a quality carcass and acceptable reproductive performance. Previous studies have indicated that welfare might be improved if gilts were ad-libitum fed a diet containing 60% Sugar beet pulp (Stewart et al 1993). There was a suggestion however that reproductive physiology may be put at risk using such a diet. The objective of this experiment was to identify differences in reproductive performance using two different energy sources in gestation and to manipulate nutrition during lactation to study the effect on carcass quality.


Author(s):  
Rupert Stäbler ◽  
Dorian Patzkéwitsch ◽  
Sven Reese ◽  
Michael Erhard ◽  
Sandrina Hartmannsgruber

Author(s):  
B P Gill ◽  
A G Taylor ◽  
B Hardy ◽  
J G Perrott

Satisfactory levels of performance and improved carcass and meat eating quality in growing pigs fed high levels of sugar beet pulp (SBP) have been recently demonstrated by Kay et al. (1990) and Longland et al. (1991). One of the main advantages from feeding SBP was a reduction in carcass fatness and increased returns from improved grading. The objective of this work was to determine whether these benefits could be sustained to heavier finishing weights and to compare differences in the response to SBP as a source of readily fermentable non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and to oat feed (OF), a cereal by-product high in insoluble NSP, which is less easily degraded.


Author(s):  
Y Rouzbehan ◽  
J H Topps ◽  
H Galbraith ◽  
J A Rooke

Earlier work (Rouzbehan et al, 1991) has shown that supplementation of baled silage with molassed sugar beet feed (MSBF, 60 g/kg fresh weight) improved live weight gain (LUG) and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) in sheep. It has been established that the protein in silage is not utilised as effectively by beef cattle as the protein in non-fermented forages (Thomas, 1982). Responses in the performance and carcass composition of finishing steers and heifers when silage-based diets have been supplemented with protein have proved to be variable. This trial was therefore carried out to examine the effects of feeding two levels of a protein supplement, fishmeal, in addition to MSBF, on the performance of beef steers fed big-bale silage ad libitum and to assess the nutritional value of such supplementation.


2000 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
X. Whittaker ◽  
S. A. Edwards ◽  
H. A. M. Spoolder ◽  
S. Corning ◽  
A. B. Lawrence

AbstractAs a part of a study investigating the extent to which ad libitum feeding of a high fibre diet could mitigate behavioural problems associated with food restriction, the performance of sows given food at restricted or ad libitum levels was compared. Ten subgroups of five were allocated to each of the restricted (R) and ad libitum (A) feeding regimes. Five weeks after service, subgroups were introduced into one of two dynamic groups of sows housed in adjacent straw-bedded pens. R sows received a fixed daily ration (parity 1: 2·2 kg; parity 2: 2·4 kg) of a conventional pregnancy diet (13·1 MJ digestible energy per kg) from an electronic sow feeder. Sows on the A regime had unrestricted access to five single-space hoppers dispensing a high fibre diet (containing 600 g unmolassed sugar beet pulp per kg). Subgroups were maintained on these gestation feeding regimes for two consecutive parities. During both parities, A sows were heavier by day 50 of gestation (parity 1: P < 0·05; parity 2: P < 0·01) and at farrowing (parity 1: P < 0·001; parity 2: P < 0·001) than R sows. No difference was found between feeding regime in sow weight at weaning, due to a greater weight loss during lactation of A (parity 1: P < 0·001; parity 2: P < 0·001) than R sows. No difference was found between feeding regime in sow backfat thickness, sow reproductive performance or litter performance in either parity. This suggests that unmolassed sugar beet pulp diets may be used to feed sows on an ad libitum basis during gestation without compromising productivity. However, food intakes may be too high (estimated at 4·1 kg per sow per day) to make ad libitum feeding of pregnant sows an attractive option for producers.


Mammalia ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivana Cinková ◽  
Udo Ganslosser ◽  
Petra Kretzschmar

AbstractAn increasing number of free-ranging southern white rhinos (


1970 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-16
Author(s):  
MJR Amin ◽  
MAR Howlider ◽  
MA Ali

A study was conducted to observe the effect of separating chicks from broody hens after hatching, and supplementary feeding, on the performance of broody hens and chicks. Eighteen broody hens incubated 360 eggs of native hens. Broody hens and chicks were divided into three treatment groups; in T1, chicks were not separated, and chicks scavenged with mothers; in T2, chicks were separated at five days and fed ad libitum; and in T3, chicks were separated at 10 days and fed ad libitum. Hens in T2 and T3 received 50g feed/hen/day. The interval between end of incubation and first lay was shorter in T2 (36.3 days) and T3 (41.7) than in T1 (55.2). Clutch length was shortest in T1 (12.7 days), medium in T3 (15.0) and longest in T2 (17.0). There were more eggs/clutch in T2 (14.7) and T3 (14.3) than in T1 (11.5). There were no differences in broody hen's body weight between treatment groups. Mortality of chicks was highest in T2 (39.6%), medium in T3 (33.9), and lowest in T1 (21.0). Body weight of chicks was highest in T2, medium in T3 and lowest in T1, except at 1st week of age. It is suggested that separation of chicks and supplementary feeding was beneficial in terms of interval between end of incubation and first lay, clutch length, number of eggs per clutch and body weight of chicks. DOI: 10.3329/bvet.v26i1.4626 Bangl. vet. 2009. Vol. 26, No. 1, 13-16


1995 ◽  
Vol 1995 ◽  
pp. 178-178
Author(s):  
A H Stewart ◽  
S A Edwards ◽  
V R Fowler

The once bred gilt system of production has a number of benefits in terms of feed efficiency and welfare, however the system relies on the production of a quality carcass and acceptable reproductive performance. Previous studies have indicated that welfare might be improved if gilts were ad-libitum fed a diet containing 60% Sugar beet pulp (Stewart et al 1993). There was a suggestion however that reproductive physiology may be put at risk using such a diet. The objective of this experiment was to identify differences in reproductive performance using two different energy sources in gestation and to manipulate nutrition during lactation to study the effect on carcass quality.


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