This chapter reviews the specificities of feeding behaviour and mastication in ruminants and their implications for mastication measurement and analysis. The functional role of mastication during eating and ruminating are then discussed, highlighting its major contribution to digestion and the control of intake. The last part of this chapter discusses the variations of rhythm and duration of mastication activities in relation to feed and dietary characteristics on one hand and to animal and group characteristics on the other.

Summary ― Ruminal starch degradation of untreated and formaldehyde-treated wheat and maize was measured in situ (trial 1) and in vitro (trial 2). The in situ starch degradability was higher for wheat than for maize (82.1 vs 52.3%), for untreated cereals than for cereals treated with 1 % formaldehyde (77.3 vs 67.0%) and for cereals treated with 1 % formaldehyde than those treated with 5% formaldehyde (67.0 vs 57.2%). The in vitro results were similar. The treatment of cereals by formaldehyde decreased starch degradability more for wheat than for maize, suggesting that the treatment was more efficient when cereal starch and/or nitrogen was highly degradable. Fonnadehyde treatment of wheat was more effective at decreasing the rate of wheat protein degradability than starch degradability.

Summary — Two groups of 7 saddle mares weighing about 550 kg after foaling, received ad libitum hay -concentrate diets (90:10) from 4 wk before foaling until 5 wk after foaling. One group received high quality (HQ), the other group low quality hay (LQ).In late pregnancy, daily intake was slightly higher (1.0 to 1.4 kg DM) for HQ diet than for LQ diet (P > 0.05). Intake greatly increased in early lactation (18.6 and 21.1 kg DM for LQ and HQ diets in the 3rd wk) but the difference in intake between diets remained higher than 1.5 kg DM. There was no short-term adaptation of mares to the increase in requirements. With

Summary. Urea, compared

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