Eating and Drinking Behaviors of Newly Received Feedlot Calves

M. J. Buhman, L. J. Perino, M. L. Galyean, R. S. Swingle

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

To characterize eating and drinking behaviors of newly received feedlot calves and to determine daily feed intake rate, 170 newly received, high-stress, lightweight calves (BW = 249.5 and 234.5 kg, SD = 15.64 and 18.18 kg, respectively) were observed throughout the first 57 d on feed at a commercial feedyard using an electronic monitoring system. Average individual eating frequency, eating duration, drinking frequency, drinking duration, and group daily feed intake rate were calculated. Mean daily eating durations for the first 3, 5, 10, 27, and 57 d on feed were 115.1, 117.5, 106.3, 93.8, 82.9 min/d, respectively. Mean daily eating frequencies for the first 3, 5, 10, 27, and 57 d on feed were 11.5, 12.6, 13.2, 12.9, and 12.0 visits/d, respectively. Mean daily drinking durations for the first 3, 5, 10, 27, and 57 d on feed were 7.7, 7.5, 7.5, 8.4, and 7.9 min/d, respectively. Mean daily drinking frequencies for the first 3, 5, 10, 27, and 57 d on feed were 6.0, 6.0, 6.0, 6.0, and 5.7 visits/d, respectively. Mean eating and drinking behaviors for the first 3, 5, 10, 27, and 57 d on feed were highly variable, with CV ranging from 18.5 to 69.8. Daily rate of feed intake ranged from 24.6 to 156.1 g/min. Results of this observational study provide estimates of daily mean eating and drinking behaviors and rate of feed intake for high-stress, lightweight, confined feeder cattle. Estimates of variability of these outcomes will facilitate sample size determination for future studies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)241-246
Number of pages6
JournalProfessional Animal Scientist
Volume16
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2000

Keywords

  • Drinking Behavior
  • Eating Behavior
  • Feed Intake
  • Feedlot

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