Concentrate Supplement Modifies the Feeding Behavior of Simmental Cows Grazing in Two High Mountain Pastures

Abstract

Simple SummaryTraditional Alpine husbandry systems require dairy cows to be grazing on mountain pasture during summer and kept indoors during the remaining part of the year. Nowadays, the pasture is not able to fully satisfy the nutritional requirements of cattle; therefore, the use of concentrates is frequently required. From their use, some issues arise: the cows tend to consume the concentrates at the expense of the grass; concentrates are competitive with human diets; concentrates decrease the environmental sustainability of farm. Therefore, in order to minimize their use, it is imperative to obtain data on the grazing behavior of cows. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of concentrate levels on the behavior of dairy cows during summer grazing in two pastures characterized by Poion alpinae and Seslerion caeruleae alliance. Cows were equipped with an electronic device to evaluate feeding behavior (grazing, rumination, and walking). In addition, the plant selection by animals was assessed. In Poion alpinae, a rich pasture, the increased supplement influenced the selectivity of the pasture species, while in Seslerion caeruleae, a poor pasture, supplementation resulted in a reduction in grazing times. The study highlights how the supplement level induced a different grazing behavior depending on pasture type.AbstractDuring grazing on Alpine pastures, the use of concentrates in dairy cows’ diet leads to a reduction of the environmental sustainability of farms, and influences the selective pressure on some plant species. In order to minimize the use of concentrates, it is imperative to obtain data on the grazing behavior of cows. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of concentrate levels on the behavior of dairy cows during grazing. One hundred and ten lactating Italian Simmental cows, that sequentially grazed two pastures characterized by Poion alpinae (Poion) and Seslerion caeruleae (Seslerion) alliance, were considered. For each pasture, eight cows were selected and assigned to two groups: High and Low, supplemented with 4 kg/head/d, and 1 kg/head/d of concentrate respectively. Cows were equipped with a noseband pressure sensor and a pedometer (RumiWatch system, ITIN-HOCH GmbH) to assess grazing, ruminating, and walking behavior. In addition, the plant selection of the animals was assessed. On Poion, increased supplement intake caused a more intense selection of legumes, without affecting feeding and walking times. On Seslerion, grazing time was higher in Low than High. Grazing management in alpine region must take into account the great variability of pastures that largely differ from a floristic and nutritional point of view.

Previous alpine grazing experience of cows has little medium-term effect on feeding behaviour, milk yield and composition in a traditional alpine system

“…Indeed, with cows milked once a day, the same authors showed that the extra time allowed on pasture resulted in an increased grazing time. Romanzin et al (2018) showed that a low level of supplementation increased the grazing time on low-energetic heterogeneous pastures, which could be another possible explanation. The decline in ingestion time at 2100 m a.s.l.…”

Welfare Assessment on Pasture: A Review on Animal-Based Measures for Ruminants

“…Most ABMs (68.85%) are recorded by direct assessment, followed by video-recording (22.95%, that also include vocalizations collected by sound recording), and sensors (in only 8.20% of cases). The use of sensors was only limited to those papers that investigated activities such as walking (e.g., [34,37,47]) and consists of data loggers attached to the hind legs or neck of the animals. Pedometers are not expensive and are already commonly used in many farms to record heat or to allow animals to be milked by automatic systems.…”

“…In recent years, the tools of "precision livestock farming" [68], adopted and developed indoors in order to optimize the use of resources and improve the productive and reproductive performance of animals, have also been proposed for the pasture environment [69], and could represent a radical change in terms of the feasibility and effectiveness of animal welfare monitoring in extensive systems. Some selected papers [26,[46][47][48]60] have proposed electronic equipment (in particular behavior-monitoring collars, GPS devices, pedometers) for the continuous monitoring of feeding and locomotion behavior, which has proven to be efficient and reliable. Table 4 displays 12 animal-based measures related to the health principle of large ruminants on pasture.…”

Comparison of Mineral, Metabolic, and Oxidative Profile of Saanen Goat during Lactation with Different Mediterranean Breed Clusters under the Same Environmental Conditions

“…Thereafter, the samples were immediately oven-dried at 60 • C for 48 h and ground to pass a 1-mm screen using a Cyclotech mill (Tecator, Höganäs, Sweden). After mixing, the samples were analyzed for dry matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin, organic matter, and nutritive value, expressed as feed units for milk using the same techniques listed by Romanzin et al [9]. Supplemental Table S1 shows the botanical and chemical composition of the pasture, considering mean and standard deviation of each parameter among the nine sampling times.…”