Short-term feeding behaviour sound classification method for sheep using LSTM networks

When cows are offered a choice of foods they are able to select a consistent combination of these foods over long periods of time. Consistent long-term diet choice (DC) is the result of feeding behaviour, which may be regulated in the short-term. The shortest unit of feeding that can be measured is often a visit to a feeder supplying one food type only. These visits are usually clustered into meals, which are the shortest biological unit in which DC can be expressed. Previous work led us to hypothesise that animals may select a consistent diet within meals, thus ensuring nutrient synchronisation in the short-term. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether long-term average DC was a direct result of cows selecting a consistent diet within meals.

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The biologically relevant unit for the analysis of short-term feeding behaviour of dairy cows

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200000041 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 2000 ◽

pp. 3-3

Author(s):

D.P.N. Schweitzer ◽

B.J. Tolkamp ◽

I. Kyriazakis

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Gradual Increase ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Feed Consumption ◽

Short Term ◽

Biologically Relevant ◽

Feeding Motivation ◽

A New Technique ◽

Log Normal

Study of short-term feeding behaviour (STFB) could improve the understanding of variation in daily intake in dairy cows. STFB is generally measured in short bouts (e.g. visits to feeders) that are clustered in larger bouts (or meals). The value of bout analysis depends strongly on the choice of an appropriate bout. Before bouts can be grouped into meals, a meal criterion (MC, that is: the longest non-feeding interval accepted as part of a meal) must be estimated. Tolkamp and Kyriazakis (1999) criticised existing methods and recently developed a new technique to estimate meal criteria. These log-normal models were developed on basis of the idea that eating bouts end when animals are satiated (i.e., in a state of low feeding motivation) (Tolkamp and Kyriazakis, 1999). This implies that feed consumption during the relevant eating bout will result in a gradual increase in satiety. This will be associated with an increase in the probability of cows ending a bout. In this study we will analyse whether meals are a more biologically relevant unit of STFB than the short feeding bouts (i.e. visits) that are routinely recorded.

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A comparison of the effects of body condition and short-term food restriction on the feeding behaviour of sheep

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0308229600031408 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 1996 ◽

pp. 174-174

Author(s):

A.M. Sibbald

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Body Condition ◽

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Food Restriction ◽

Term Effect ◽

Short Term ◽

Daily Food ◽

Long Term Effect ◽

Single Meal

Voluntary food intake is generally inversely related to body condition or fatness in mature sheep (Foot, 1972). Since the intake of pelleted diets by housed sheep consists of a number of discrete feeding bouts or 'meals' (e.g. Bermudez et al., 1989), the relatively long-term effect of body condition on intake will be achieved through changes in feeding behaviour at the level of a single meal. The aim of this experiment was to compare the effects of body condition and short-term food restriction on meal patterns in sheep, to investigate the mechanism by which body condition influences daily food intake.

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Short-term feeding behaviour has a similar structure in broilers, turkeys and ducks

British Poultry Science ◽

10.1080/00071668.2010.528749 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 51 (6) ◽

pp. 714-724 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

J.A. Howie ◽

B.J. Tolkamp ◽

T. Bley ◽

I. Kyriazakis

Keyword(s):

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Short Term

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Short-term feeding behaviour of dairy cows relative to food composition and stage of lactation

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0308229600032384 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 1998 ◽

pp. 25-25

Author(s):

B.L. Nielsen ◽

N.C. Friggens ◽

I. Kyriazakis ◽

B.J. Tolkamp ◽

G.C. Emmans

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Food Composition ◽

Short Term ◽

Physiological Mechanisms ◽

Stage Of Lactation ◽

Behavioural Characteristics ◽

Major Factors ◽

Voluntary Food Intake

Short-term feeding behaviour (STFB) has been used to elucidate the physiological mechanisms which control eating. It has been proposed as a means by which to predict voluntary food intake, and could be used to quantify behavioural characteristics of the cow. The first step in assessing the usefulness of STFB for these purposes is to identify the major factors which influence STFB. The aim of the study reported here was to evaluate, in dairy cows, the differences in STFB resulting from two different foods, the effect of stage of lactation on STFB, and the effect on STFB of changing from one food to another.

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Consequences of variation in feeding behaviour for the probability of cows starting a meal as estimated from pooled data

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200011662 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 2003 ◽

pp. 7-7

Author(s):

M. P. Yeates ◽

B. J. Tolkamp ◽

I. Kyriazakis

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Recent Work ◽

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Biological Significance ◽

Simulation Models ◽

Farm Animals ◽

Short Term ◽

Pooled Data ◽

Intake Regulation ◽

Insight Into

The analysis of short-term feeding behaviour may give insights into how food intake is regulated in farm animals. Food intake is often recorded in terms of feeding events, e.g. visits to feeders, which can be clustered into meals. This enables calculation of the probability of cows starting a meal in relation to time since the last meal, which is thought to give insight into intake regulation. Starting probabilities are often calculated after data have been pooled, e.g. across day and night or across individuals. Recent work suggested that such pooling might have strongly affected previously published conclusions. We therefore constructed simulation models to investigate how such pooling affects interpretation of feeding behaviour and consequently the biological significance attached to results.

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The short term feeding behaviour of pigs given access to foods differing in bulk content

Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s1752756200006839 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 2002 ◽

pp. 27-27

Author(s):

E. C. Whittemore ◽

I. Kyriazakis ◽

G.C. Emmans ◽

B.J. Tolkamp ◽

C. A. Morgan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Intake ◽

Feeding Behaviour ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Growing Pigs ◽

Feeding Time ◽

Short Term ◽

Control Food ◽

Bulk Content ◽

High Bulk ◽

Different Levels

We need to improve our understanding of the factors that are important for the control of food intake on high bulk foods. The study of short term feeding behaviour (STFB) may help to do this. The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of giving foods differing in bulk content on the STFB of growing pigs. It was expected that the foods would result in different levels of daily intake and that this would be reflected as differences in STFB between the foods. Two hypotheses were developed based on ideas about the way in which a physical constraint to intake could arise. H1; there would be less diurnal variation in feeding on high bulk foods that limit intake. H2; feeding patterns on bulky foods would be less flexible than those on a control food when feeding time is limited by reducing time of access to the feeder.

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