As published in Progressive Dairyman, researchers at the University of British Columbia conducted a study to determine how variation in TMR quality affects the feeding behavior of dairy cattle. The nine-day study focused on the responses of 32 seven-month-old Holstein heifers to simulated variation in TMR quality along the length of the feedbunk as well as unexpected changes in TMR quality between days.
Based on the results of their study, the researchers concluded the following:
- The response of cattle to variation in TMR quality is to change the way they explore their feeding environment.
- Heifers will spend more time grazing the feedbunk when TMR quality is lower than they had previously experienced, moving more between feeding locations and spending less time at each location.
- Competitive interactions between heifers become more frequent when TMR quality is not uniformly distributed along the feedbunk as cattle strive to obtain access to the highest-quality feed.
- To help promote more efficient feeding behavior, variation in TMR energy density between and within days should be minimized.
Source: Marina von Keyserlingk and Dan Weary, "Why dairy cattle graze the bunk: The effects of variation in TMR quality on feeding behavior," Progressive Dairyman, February 11, 2013: 118-119.
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(L to R) Mike Taylor & Ross Putney of Taylor Valley View Farm
Dairy Operation in Washington, VT
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