Ingestive behaviour of steers grazing Brachiaria brizantha cultivar Marandu and in feedlot in Brazil
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Ingestive behaviour of steers grazing Brachiaria brizantha cultivar Marandu and in feedlot in Brazil Sinvaldo Oliveira de Souza 1,2 & Robério Rodrigues Silva 1,2 & Fabiano Ferreira da Silva 1,2 & Gleidson Giordano Pinto de Carvalho 3 & Ana Paula Gomes da Silva 1,2 & João Wilian Dias da Silva 1,2 & Laize Vieira Santos 1,2 Received: 11 July 2018 / Accepted: 29 April 2019 # Springer Nature B.V. 2019
Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the ingestive behaviour of steers grazing Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu and in feedlot regimen in Brazil. Fifty crossbred steers, with an average weight of 275 ± 8.18 kg, were distributed in a completely randomised design with five treatments and ten replicates per treatment (mineral supplementation, nitrogen supplementation, and concentrate supplementation at 0.1 and 0.2% of body weight and under feedlot conditions). Ingestive behaviour was assessed every 5 min for 24 h. No difference (P > 0.05) was found for grazing time among grazing systems. Conversely, rumination, idle, feeding, and chewing times showed differences (P < 0.05) only for feedlot animals. The time spent feeding at the trough was higher (P < 0.05) in animals receiving concentrate supplementation. The bite rate and the number of bites per day were similar (P > 0.05) among grazing systems. Feed and rumination efficiencies of dry matter and neutral detergent fibre corrected for ash and protein showed differences (P < 0.05) only in feedlot animals. Therefore, ingestive behaviour of steers varies with the raising system. Overall, feedlot animals showed better performance than grazing animals did, most likely due to longer rest periods. Keywords Cattle management . Ingestion . Ruminant
Introduction Livestock production and efficiency are based on animal nutritional management. Diet dry matter intake is the most important variable affecting animal digestibility and performance, regardless of the raising system. Under grazing or feedlot conditions, dry matter intake can be influenced by environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and airflow, which affect animal health and performance (Litherland et al. 2014). In tropical conditions, large variation in forage dry matter production and quality is already expected, influencing animal productivity, mainly during the dry seasons. Forage production seasonality is
* Sinvaldo Oliveira de Souza
1
State University of Southwest Bahia, Itapetinga, BA 45700-000, Brazil
2
Itapetinga, Brazil
3
Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, BA 40110-903, Brazil
a common characteristic of tropical pastures and represents one of the main obstacles in cattle production (Araújo et al. 2017). In the context of animal ingestive behaviour, studies on pasture-fed or feedlot steers are essential to developing support models for research purposes, enabling the adjustment of feeding and management practices to improve animal performance. Ruminant, as well as in other species, feed intake depends on nutritional needs, and ingestive behaviour responds to cha
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