• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.154-155
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• 1989

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.951-955
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• 2001

The behaviour of 6 Toggenburg and 6 Saanen female goats, grazing on natural vegatation in a modified sub-humid tropical environment of Kenya, was studied during the dry (January and February) and wet (April and May) seasons in 1997. The two exotic breeds grazed for 12 h daily. Observation on feeding, standing, lying and ruminating was done chronometrically at five minute intervals between 0600 and 1800 h. These grazing times were based on the current practice of small holder farmers. During the dry period, the average feeding, standing, lying and ruminating time per 12 h period for Saanens was 5.63, 4.57, 1.80 and 1.50 h respectively while that for Toggenburgs was 7.26, 3.21, 1.53 and 1.96 h, respectively. In the wet(Green) season, the mean feeding, standing, lying and ruminating time for Saanens was found to be 5.08, 4.63, 2.29 and 0.72, respectively.Toggenburgs spent more time feeding (p<0.05) than Saanens in both seasons. It was also observed that standing occured more often in Saanens than the Toggenburgs in the dry season. During the wet period, Saanens ruminated significantly longer than the Toggenburgs. The health status of the animals was determined by analyzing the respiratory frequency, heart rate, rectal temperature, hemoglobin, erythrocytes and leucocytes of the experimental animals. All the clinical and physiological parameters were within the normal physiological range of healthy goats. It was concluded that differences in the grazing behaviour of Saanens and Toggenburgs in the modified tropical environment of Kenya, do exist.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.1394-1398
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• 2000

This experiment was carried out to examine the seasonal changes in feed intake and feeding behavior in Korean spotted deer under farmed condition to obtain basic information for efficient feeding management. The seasonal daily gain was the highest (p<0.05) in summer and the lowest (p<0.05) in winter. Dry matter intake (DMI) was the highest (p<0.05) in spring (2,685 g/day) and the lowest in winter (1,929 g/day). Intake of roughage in the DMI was the greatest in spring and that in winter was significantly lower (p<0.05) than in spring. Also DMI, expressed in terms of metabolic body weight ($kgW^{0.75}$), was 85.5 g, 70.6 g, 70.9 g and 65.1 g for spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively, and thus was the highest in spring and the lowest in winter (p<0.05). Deer exhibited similar eating patterns, comparatively short and frequent periods, in all seasons. They showed comparatively intensive patterns of rumination during midnight for autumn and winter and relatively continuous patterns of chewing activity during spring and summer. There were no significant differences in seasonal eating time and ruminating time. However, exercise time was the greatest for winter and the lowest for summer and there was a significant difference (p<0.05) between summer and winter. Although not significant, eating time per 100 gDM ingested tended to be short in spring and summer and long in autumn and winter. Ruminating time per 100 gDM ingested was the shortest (p<0.05) in spring compared with in other seasons. The conclusion can be drawn that since deer have seasonal differences in feed intake and feeding habits, it is necessary to establish and develop an efficient feeding system for deer.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.491-495
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• 2001

The behaviour of 5 Jersey and 5 Guernsey heifers, grazing on natural vegetation in a sub-humid tropical environment in Kenya, was studied during the dry (January and February) and wet (April and May) seasons in 1999. The heifers grazed for 12 hours daily in both seasons. Observations on feeding, standing, lying and ruminating were done chronometrically, at five-minute intervals, between 0600 and 1800 h. During the dry season, the average feeding, standing, lying and ruminating times per 12 h period for Jerseys was 8.0, 3.13, 0.87, and 1.40 respectively, while those for Guernseys were 8.6, 3.26, 0.4, and 1.35 respectively. In the wet (green) season, the mean feeding, standing, lying and ruminating times for Jerseys were found to be 7.54, 3.07, 1.39, and 1.27 respectively, and for Guernseys were 8.42, 3.10, 0.48, and 0.44 respectively. In both seasons Guernseys spent more time feeding (p<0.05) in comparison with the Jerseys. It was also observed that lying occurred more often in Jerseys than the Guernseys (p<0.05) in both seasons. During the wet season, Jerseys ruminated longer (p<0.05) than the Guernseys. The health status of the animals was determined by examining the respiratory frequency, heart rate, rectal temperature, haemoglobin erythrocytes and leucocytes of the experimental animals. All the clinical and physiological parameters were within the normal physiological range of healthy cattle. It was concluded that there are differences in grazing behaviour between Jerseys and Guernseys in the sub-humid tropical environment of Kenya and Jerseys seem to be more adapted to the tropical climatic conditions.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.273-277
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• 1994

A $3{\times}3$ latin square design experiment was conducted to study eating and rumination behavior in sheep fed rice straw (RS) supplemented with soybean meal (SBM) and barley at three different levels of crude protein: low (40 g CP/d, LCP), medium (67 g/d, MCP) and high (94 g/d, HCP). In addition, all the supplements were formulated to contain the same amount of total digestible nutrients (TDN; 275 g). Daily time spent eating and eating rate of RS were not affected by any supplementation. However, time spent ruminating in sheep fed HCP diet was markedly shorter (p<0.05) than in those fed LCP and MCP diets. Rumination index (ruminating time/100 g DM intake) was also significantly reduced (p<0.05) by increasing level of protein supplementation. Although no significant differences were observed, the daily number of rumination periods tended to be lower, while daily number of boli regurgitated was considerably higher in sheep fed HCP diet than in those fed LCP and MCP diets. Increasing level of protein supplementation did not affect the number of chews per bolus, bolus time and rate of chewing during rumination. It is suggested that increasing level of protein supplementation was associated with more effective microbial reduction of rumen digesta particle size and consequently reduced the time spent ruminating.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.7-14
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• 1991

An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of change in length of hay offered on eating and rumination behaviour in sheep using three types of hay diets (L: long, M: 8.0-cm cut, S: 1.2-cm cut) and 3 Japanese Corriedale wethers, and the experiment was designed as $3{\times}3$ latine square. The time spent eating per 100 g hay was significantly shorter with long (L) hay (p < 0.05) than with chopped (M and S) hay, and therefore, the eating rate (g D.M./min.) was significantly higher in the former (p < 0.05) than in the latter. Rumination appearance (the lag time after eating) tended to be longer with long hay than with chopped hay, but not significantly (p > 0.05). Daily time spent ruminating, the actual chewing time and daily number of chews tended to be more in feeding long hay than in feeding chopped hay, but not significantly. Daily number of rumination periods was significantly more with long hay (p < 0.01) than with chopped hay. Cyclic rate tended to be longer with long hay than with chopped hay, in particular, the difference in values between long hay and 8.0-cm cut hay was significant statistically (p < 0.01). The rumination index (time spent ruminating/100 g D.M, eaten) tended to be higher with long hay than with chopped hay, and the difference in values between long hay and 1.2-cm cut hay was significant statistically (p < 0.05). Bolus time was significantly longer with long hay (p < 0.01) than that with 8.0-cm cut hay. The circadian pattern of ruminating time was not changed by the changes in length of hay eaten.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.759-769
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of stocking density on the behavior, productivity, and metabolism of periparturient Holstein cows as well as calf performance. Methods: A total of 48 periparturient cows were randomly assigned into three groups at 28 days (±3 days) before their expected calving date. The stocking densities of the groups, relative to the standard cubicle and feed bunk number, were i) 80% (13 cows), ii) 100% (16 cows), and iii) 120% (19 cows). Lying and rumination behavior was recorded using electronic data loggers and HR-Tags from d -21 ("d-" means days before calving) until the calving date, d 0. Lying time was assessed to determine the diurnal total hours spent lying per day. Rumination time was averaged in 2 hours interval periods over 24 hours during the experimental period. Results: Cows in the 80% group spent more time lying and ruminating between d -21 and d -7 and tended to ruminate more between d -14 and d 0. Calcium levels tended to be higher for cows in the 80% group, no other observable differences were found in monitored blood parameters. Moreover, 3.5% fat corrected milk and energy corrected milk yields were higher in 80% group in the first month of lactation. No other observable differences were found in the yield and composition of colostrum and milk in the first 10 months of lactation. The growth and performance of calves in the first week of life was not affected by stocking density of the dams. Conclusion: We concluded that lower stocking density may increase lying and ruminating behavior of prepartum Holstein cows. However, this did not translate into improved productivity and metabolism.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.944-951
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• 2024

Objective: Parturition is crucial for dams, their calves, and cow managers. The prediction of calving time, which assists cow managers to decide on the relocation of cows to maternity pens and necessity of human supervision, is a pivotal aspect of livestock farming. However, existing methods of predicting calving time in dairy cows based on hormonal changes and clinical symptoms are time-consuming and yield unreliable predictions. Accordingly, we investigated whether heart rate variability (HRV) which is a non-invasive assessment of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and behavior during the prepartum period would be useful for predicting calving time in dairy cows. Methods: Eight pregnant cows were surveilled under electrocardiogram and video recordings for HRV and behavioral analyses, respectively. HRV parameters in time and frequency domains were evaluated. A 24-h time budget was calculated for each of six types of behavior (standing and lying with or without rumination, sleeping, and eating). Results: Heart rate on calving day is considerably higher than those recorded on the days preceding calving. Low frequency power declined, whereas high frequency power escalated on the calving day compared to the period between 24 and 48 h before calving. The time budget for ruminating while lying decreased and that while standing increased markedly on the calving day compared to those allocated on the preceding days; nonetheless, the total time budget for ruminating did not differ during the prepartum period. Conclusion: We elucidated the ANS activity and behavioral profiles during prepartum period. Our results confirm that HRV parameters and behavior are useful for predicting calving time, and interestingly indicate that the time budget for ruminating while standing (or lying) may serve as a valuable predictor of calving. Collectively, our findings lay the foundation for future investigations to determine other potential predictors and formulate an algorithm for predicting calving time.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.159-168
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• 2010

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of by-product mixing silage feeding on the eating and ruminating behavior of fattening Hanwoo steer. A total of 12 Hanwoo steers (21 months old) were divided into three feeding groups and assigned to 3 dietary treatments: control (C: concentrate + ad libitum feeding of rice straw), and by-product mixing silage groups (T1: concentrate + 1 kg restricted feeding of by-product mixing silage + ad libitum feeding of rice straw, T2: concentrate + ad libitum feeding of by-product mixing silage). Eating behaviors were observed for 48 hours. Total feed intake was high in the order of T1 > C > T2, but not significantly different among the treatments. The eating and chewing time were significantly higher in C than by-product mixing silage treatments (P<0.05). Ruminating and resting time were not significantly different among the treatments. Number of bolus, number of total chews and number of chews per bolus were not significantly different among the treatments. But ruminating time per bolus and FVI (feed value index) were significantly higher in C than T1 and T2 (p<0,01, 0.05). Bolus per minute was the highest in T1 (p<0.01). Number of drinking was significantly higher in T2 than C and T1 (p<0.05), but defecating and urinating were not significantly difference among the treatments. Eating rate was the highest in T2 (p<0.05), but ruminating and chewing efficiency were not significantly difference among the treatments. Consequently, there was no big difference on eating behavior when feed by-product silage comparing with rice straw. Therefore, it is thought that by-product mixing silage could be the alternative for the rice straw.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.489-496
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• 2011

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of stocking density on the eating and ruminating behavior of growing Hanwoo steer (Bos taurus coreanae). A total of thirty growing Hanwoo steers were divided into four stocking density groups (G1: 1 head/32 $m^2$, G2: 2 heads/32 $m^2$, G3: 3 heads /32 $m^2$, G4: 4 heads/32 $m^2$) with 3 replicates (12 pens). The results of eating behaviors for 48 hours are summarized as follows: Total intake was higher in 2G, 3G and 4G than in 1G, but not significantly different among thetreatments. Intake of roughage was the highest in 2G (3.32 kg), while 1G (2.85 kg) was the lowest (P<0.05). Eating time of concentrate was highly in the order of 1G > 2G > 3G > 4G (P<0.05). But eating time (concentrate + roughage) and ruminating time were not significantly difference among the treatments. Resting time (standing + lying) was the highest in 4G (P<0.01), and lying time was the highest in 2G. Chewing time (Eating + ruminating) was higher in 3G than in 1G, 2G, and 4G (P<0.05). Number of bolus, number of total chews, ruminating time per bolus and number of bolus per minute were not significantly difference among the treatments. But number of chews per bolus was significantly lower in 1G than those of the other treatments (p<(0.05). Number of urinating was in the order of 1G > 4G > 2G > 3G (P<0.05). However, stocking density had no effect on drinking and defecating. Eating rate and chewing efficiency were the highest in 4G (P<0.01, 0.05), but ruminating efficiency was not significantly difference among the treatments.