Understanding and manipulating diet choice in grazing animals

Abstract

Conventional models of foraging, such as optimal foraging theory, generally take the univariate approach to explain the decisions of consumers on the basis of the intrinsic properties of foods, including nutrient concentration and abundance. However, the food environment is inherently diverse and, as a consequence, foraging decisions are influenced by the interactions among multiple food components and the forager. Foraging behaviour is affected by the consumer’s past experiences with the biochemical context in which a food is ingested, including the kinds and amounts of nutrients and plant secondary compounds in a plant and its neighbours. In addition, past experiences with food have the potential to influence food preference and intake through a mechanism, namely, food hedonics, which is not entirely dependent on the classical homeostatic model of appetite control. Research on the impacts of experience with food context and its behavioural expression in natural settings should pioneer innovative management strategies aimed at modifying food intake and preference of herbivores to enhance their nutrition, health and welfare, as well as the health and integrity of the landscapes they inhabit.

Do sheep grazing patterns affect ecosystem functioning in steppe grassland ecosystems in Inner Mongolia?

“…In addition, sheep exhibited a preference for previously grazed plants and areas, not only related to their nutritional status, but also to habitual behavior, as evidenced by the presence of trails related to presence of water and shade, and also for plants they have grazed before (O'Connor, 1992). Their preference for certain species is partly due to previous experience and what they have learned (Villalba et al, 2015). In our study, the individual sheep in the grazing flocks in 2008 and 2010 were completely different, which may indicate that sheep has a strong ability to identify good forage quality patches, rather than indicating that sheep retained a memory for previously grazed sites.…”

Resilience in farm animals: biology, management, breeding and implications for animal welfare

“…Boissy and Lee (2014) suggest three ways that cognitive and emotional enrichment can be achieved: (1) signalling a reward in advance, (2) providing a reward that is greater than expected, and (3) providing the animal with the ability to control fulfilment of 'wants' and 'likes'. However, experience of French shepherds suggests that too great a predictability of the timing of feed rewards can distract goats from engaging in normal grazing activities and reduce overall feed intake while they await the reward (Villalba et al 2015). Thus, complexity in the reward structure is needed to avoid frustration from unfulfilled expectations (Greiveldinger et al 2011).…”

Forage intake and weight gain of ewes is affected by roughage mixes during winter in northeastern China

“…Many studies on animal nutrition and ethology suggest that feed intake of livestock on a pasture could be regulated by plant characteristics, such as structure, morphology and secondary chemistry (Cooper et al 1994;Owen-Smith 1994;Molle et al 2009;Villalba et al 2015). Moreover, studies have demonstrated that livestock have greater intake and perform better when they are provided with a mix of forage (Pennings et al 1993;Bernays et al 1994;Burritt & Provenza 2000;Marsh et al 2006).…”