Ingestive behaviour of grazing ruminants: meta-analysis of the components linking bite mass to daily intake

Abstract

AbstractThis meta-analysis shed light on the quantitative adaptive responses of feeding behaviour of Cattle (C) and Small Ruminants (SR), facing variations of sward characteristics, notably of sward height (SH, 18. 7 ± 13.9 cm) and herbage bulk density (HBD, 1.73 ± 1.30 kg DM / m3). All responses expressed a plateau stressing an adaptive limit with extreme values of SH and HBD. The minimum plateau of BR (46.9 ± 14.6 min-1) is around 40 min-1, while IR values (different for C and SR, respectively 69.1 ± 38.1 vs. 99.9 ± 45.7 g/min/kg BW) ranged between a minimum and maximum plateau around 50 and 100 g/min/kg BW. Two other pasture management factors affect IR, namely forage allowance (10.16 ± 6.0, DM % BW) and daily proportion of time spent grazing (0.30 ± 0.08). The results obtained confirm the specifically key role of BM (1.80 ± 127 mg DM/kg BW) on IR. The regressions are IR=145 (1-exp (-b BM), b being equal respectively for C and SR and C to 0.44 vs. 0.54. This literature review has also revealed fundamental differences in behaviour between C and SR although no study to date has attempted to compare them simultaneously. SR have to chew more (2.7 ± 1.2 vs. 1.6 ± 0.5 JM/bite) to ingest the same amount of DM per bite than C, expressed in relation to BW, which allow them to ingest slightly quickly.ImplicationsThis article, following the previous one of Boval and Sauvant (2019), proposes a quantitative appraisal of the ingestive behaviour of grazing ruminants, based on studies published over 40 years, as well as well robust average values and relationships, considering inter- and intra-study effects and animal species specificities. This knowledge should contribute to a better overall understanding of the behavioural adaptation of ruminants at pasture, to the identification of key threshold values and appropriate parameters of interest to be considered, and to improve the efficiency and sensitivity of automatic devices, which are booming in the context of precision livestock farming at pasture.