Studies on the habits of Zebu cattle V. Night paddocking and its effect on the animal

Abstract

The results of 8 days' observations with ten animals, under both free-grazing and night-paddock systems, are given. These results are discussed in relation to changes in the food consumption of the animals. The indications are that when the animals are on rough grazing, the pattern of behaviour is not influenced by the night-paddocking system, but that the food consumption of the animals is affected by the relative abundance of herbage in the day and night enclosures. In this trial one comparison shows a significant reduction in average ruminating times by 1 hr. without any effect on the grazing time, when the herbage was scarce in the night paddock; and in the other comparison, when there was more herbage in the night paddock than in the day paddock, the food consumption, as indicated by the ruminating times, was unaffected, but at the same time the animals needed to graze 1 hr. more under the free-grazing conditions than under the night-paddocking system.