Voluntary Feed Intake, Grazing Behaviour and Plant Preferences of Ruminants

Abstract

Feed intake, feeding behaviours and plant preferences of grazing animals are the most significant characteristics for performance. Effective utilization of legumes, grasses and other families by grazing ruminants (cattle, sheep and goat) as a nature of their creation is fairly important for both producers and range management. Although feeding behaviours of ruminant animals were widely studied, there is still necessity to information about voluntary feed intake, grazing behaviours and plant preferences, affecting the performance in range-based livestock farming. Therefore, voluntary feed intake, feeding behaviours, plants preferred primarily and willingly and reasons of the preferences of grazing ruminants were observed and discussed in this review. Briefly, factors affecting voluntary feed intake of grazing animals can be ranged as genotype, plant and environment. When these factors are taken into consideration, the botanical composition of grasslands (legumes, grasses and other plant families), and the type of animals to be reared, yield level of genotype should be properly considered while the new pastures are being formed.

Keywords: Feeding behaviour, forage, feed selection, rangeland, ruminant, dry matter intake