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Behavior Patterns of Sheep and Cattle Being Fed Pasture or Soilage

University of California^,2

Abstract

Observations of behavior patterns of steers and sheep were made while on alfalfa pasture or soilage or on trefoil-orchard grass pasture or soilage.

Both steers and sheep spent significantly more time grazing alfalfa pasture on the fifth day in the field than on the second. The steers also spent more time ruminating on the fifth day while the sheep did not. Evidence is presented indicating that the ratio of ruminating time to eating time is affected by the TDN content of the forage being selected. On a highly digestible diet the animal spends proportionally less time ruminating than on one of lower digestibility.

On trefoil-orchard grass pasture the same length of time was spent grazing on the second and fifth days in the field. The difference in behavior pattern on the two types of forage seems to be related to the ability of the animal to graze selectively.

¹ The authors express their appreciation to Jim Clawson, Dick Craven and Allen Strother for assistance in making the observations.

² Department of Animal Husbandry, Davis.