Sheep and goat feeding behavior profile in grazing systems

Abstract

Feeding behavior analysis provides information about the relationships between animals and pastures. Therefore, this review aims to describe some aspects of the feeding behavior profiles of both sheep and goats in grazing systems. The structure of the pasture is a key factor in the feeding behavior of grazing animals. The amount of feed consumed in a given period of time is affected by the number of meals, duration and velocity of swallowing, changes in grazing time, bite rate, bite weight, and quality of ingested forage. The different phenological stages of forage also influence the animals’ strategies to optimize their intake, which consequently changes their behavioral activities. Sheep and goats tend to be more selective than cattle, and young animals are more selective than older animals; this selectivity characteristic is one of the most important aspects to be observed in pasture management. According to the degree of selectivity, the animals will intake forages of higher or lower nutritive quality. In addition, the intensity and distribution of their daily activities (grazing, ruminating, and resting) are influenced by several factors, such as the availability and nutritive value of the pasture, its management, the animal activity in the group, and the predominant climatic conditions of the region.

What Are Sheep Doing? Tri-Axial Accelerometer Sensor Data Identify the Diel Activity Pattern of Ewe Lambs on Pasture

“…Elsewhere, sheep that were housed in pens at night were found to spend 72% of total daylight activity grazing [54]. As sheep have been shown to compensate for their daily grazing by grazing longer in daylight when they do not have access to pasture at night [55], this may account for the higher proportion of time spent grazing by Mohammed et al [54] compared to the 64% sheep spent in the present study. We further suggest that our algorithm included rumination activities into the resting category, which might be why the ewe lambs were estimated to rest for upward of five hours on average, compared to the 3 to 4 h sheep were reported to spend sleeping by Arnold [50].…”

The prevalence of Strongylida/strongyles in small ruminants in Manatuto Municipality in central region of Timor-Leste

“…This is probably because the grazing behavior of goats is very selective when they graze in an open field. It is well known that goats are very selective in choosing their feed; they can even travel for miles for browsing their feed [20,21] and can tolerate feed that is bitter compared to sheep [22,23]. This result maybe just a coincidence because animals are grazing in communal land where infected animals are reared with healthy ones.…”

Investigation of the impacts of the industrial effluent on sheep ecology downward Kwashe industrial area, Iraq Kurdistan Region

“…7). Some authors suggested that chemical and plant poisonings are the main neurological diseases in sheep such as seizures [15,17]. In addition, the majority of causes of seizures in both goats and sheep were caused by metabolic issues such as lead poisoning or a high sulfur diet [50].…”

“…Animals typically ruminants can be exposed to the pollutants by ingestion of food and water, inhalation, and absorption through the skin, it is commonly known that in such animals, the principal route of exposure is through the diet [14]. Several of papers have been reviewed to overview the impact of pollutant in animals such as [15][16][17]. Therefore, the aim of this screening research is to provide a general investigation of Kwashe Industrial effluents impacts on sheep ecology as well as public health.…”