Effects of mixed-species stocking and space allowance on the behaviour and growth of red deer hinds and ewes at pasture

Blanc, Fabienne; Thériez, M.; Brelurut, Alain

doi:10.1016/s0168-1591(98)00242-1

Cited by 16 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This phenomenon was explained by the relatively higher risk of predation and increased time to escape when animals were resting. Similar results have been reported in poultry (Keeling & Duncan 1991), but little data on differences in spacing according to activity have been gathered in other ungulates (Walther 1977; Blanc et al. 1999; Shiyomi & Tsuiki 1999; Petherick 2007).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Differences in the Spacing Behaviour of Two Breeds of Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries) - Influence of Artificial Selection?

et al. 2011

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The aim of this experiment was to investigate differences in spacing behaviour, measured by the individual distance when resting and feeding, between two breeds of sheep with a different selection history. Eight groups of four pregnant ewes from the Nor‐X breed (a heavy, composite breed mainly selected for growth and meat quality) and eight groups of four pregnant ewes of the coloured Spæl breed (a light breed, mainly selected for wool quality) were placed in oblong experimental pens for 7 d. The distance between animals was measured from digital video recordings. The heavy Nor‐X ewes kept a significantly larger individual distance to their pen mates both during resting and feeding compared with the lighter Spæl ewes. Spæl ewes also kept a significantly smaller individual distance during resting than during feeding, but this difference was not found in Nor‐X ewes. Our results indicate that selection for growth and meat quality might influence spacing behaviour in sheep. Looking at the selection history of these two breeds, we discovered differences in how long they had coexisted with large carnivores. The possible effects of previous exposure to carnivores and the role of domestication in modifying spacing behaviour are also discussed.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Differences in the Spacing Behaviour of Two Breeds of Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries) - Influence of Artificial Selection?

et al. 2011

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“…The colours correspond to the experimental block, and the values of each panel correspond to a given grazing management approach heifers and that their co-grazing presents little risk of agonistic interactions or injury. These findings extend what was observed in other interspecific combinations with only few interspecific tensions observed as long as space was not limiting, for example, between red deer and sheep (Blanc et al, 1999), or heifers and sows (Sehested et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Comparing the effects of horse grazing alone or with cattle on horse parasitism and vegetation use in a mesophile pasture

Fleurance

Sallé

Lansade

et al. 2022

Grass and Forage Science

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Mixing different herbivore species is assumed to increase vegetation use because of the complementarity of their feeding choices and to reduce animal parasite burden through the dilution effect. Here, we compare the effects of mixed horse-cattle grazing and monospecific horse grazing (1.4 LU/ha) on animal foraging behaviour, sward characteristics and horse parasitism in a mesophile grassland of central France. In

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“…This device measures the time the animal spends moving its head down. In any 5-min interval, an animal was considered to graze if it spent more than 2·5 min moving its head down (Blanc et al, 1999). Some breakdowns in the devices hindered some daily grazing time measurements (5, 5, 2, 3 and 6 in FES, LOL, STRIPS, TIME and MIX respectively, i.e.…”

Section: Measurement Of Sward Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Ewes increase their intake when offered a choice of herbage species at pasture

et al. 2006

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In stall-feeding conditions, food diversity has been shown to increase an animal's motivation to eat and its level of food intake. This effect has also been suggested, but not demonstrated, for free-grazing animals. In free-grazing conditions, however, animals may have to search for the preferred plant species and this may reduce their intake rate. Moreover, the management of diverse swards faces a risk of overgrazing the preferred species and undergrazing the less preferred species, leading to resource degradation. We investigated the effect of food diversity on foraging behaviour and intake in grazing sheep, in interaction with the type of diversity (conterminal monocultures v. mixtures) and management (two monocultures offered simultaneously v. successively over time). Five treatments were compared with five groups of five dry INRA 401 ewes for five periods, using a Latin-square design: LOL ¼ grazing a monoculture of Lolium perenne cv. Herbie (L); FES ¼ grazing a monoculture of Festuca arundinacea cv. Florine (F); STRIPS ¼ grazing conterminal monocultures of L and F, 0·5:0·5 by ground area, with animals having a free choice between both species; TIME ¼ grazing L from 16:00 to 09:00 h and F from 09:00 to 16:00 h; MIX ¼ grazing an intermeshed mixture of L and F. Sward height was maintained at 9 cm. Each period comprised a 5-day adaptation subperiod followed by a 5-day measurement subperiod. Dietary choices and intake were measured using n-alkanes, and grazing time was assessed using the Ethosys w recording system. Intake rate was calculated as the ratio of intake to grazing time. Intake in the monoculture treatments were higher than predictions made for housed animals given similar forages ad libitum, demonstrating that sward conditions were favourable for the expression of voluntary intake in all treatments. Intake was higher in LOL than in FES, this result being consistent with predictions for stall-feeding conditions. There was no difference in diet composition, foraging behaviour and intake between the bispecific treatments (STRIPS, TIME and MIX). Intake was higher in the bispecific treatments than in LOL (1666 v. 1492 g digestible organic matter per day, P , 0·001). Grazing time was higher in STRIPS and MIX than in LOL (420 and 430 min respectively v. 366 min, P , 0·01). Dry ewes increase their intake when offered a choice of herbage species at pasture, this being mediated via an increase in grazing time rather than an increase in intake rate. There was no interaction with type of diversity or type of management.

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Effects of mixed-species stocking and space allowance on the behaviour and growth of red deer hinds and ewes at pasture

Cited by 16 publications

References 14 publications

Differences in the Spacing Behaviour of Two Breeds of Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries) - Influence of Artificial Selection?

Differences in the Spacing Behaviour of Two Breeds of Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries) - Influence of Artificial Selection?

Comparing the effects of horse grazing alone or with cattle on horse parasitism and vegetation use in a mesophile pasture

Ewes increase their intake when offered a choice of herbage species at pasture

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