Effect of the Meal Interval Setting of an Automated Concentrate Feeding System on Feed Intake and Feeding Behavior in Fattening Hanwoo Steers

Abstract

An automatic concentrate feeding system (ACFS) divides the day into several intervals, allowing cattle to consume a predetermined amount of concentrate mix per interval. This study investigated the impact of changing these intervals (four vs. six) in an ACFS on its precision in monitoring the feed intake and feeding behavior of fattening Hanwoo steers. The experiment, involving 29 fattening Hanwoo steers (688 ± 43.3 kg of body weight, 24 months old), employed a switchback design with two interval settings: four and six per day. Both individual forage and concentrate intakes and feeding behaviors were automatically recorded; however, the ACFS measured feed supply, not actual intake. The precision of the ACFS’s intake recordings was tested by manually assessing feed residuals per visit using video recordings. Although no difference was observed in the concentrate intake (p > 0.05), the six-interval setting reduced concentrate residuals by 0.2 kg per visit (p < 0.05). The increased interval setting also resulted in fewer visits for forage consumption and decreased forage and total dry matter intakes (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the increased interval setting for the ACFS reduced the visit frequency for forage consumption and actual forage consumption while improving the precision of the ACFS’s intake recordings.