Effects of hay grass level and its physical form (full length versus chopped) on standing time, drinking time, and social behavior of calves

Two 73 day experiments were done on growing calves to evaluate the effect of different forage particle length of hay grass on standing time, drinking time and social behavior. Hay grass level was changed by increasing and decreasing forage to concentrate ratio (F:C). Hay was the only source of fiber in the diet. In experiment 1,F:C were fed at full length (FL) hay in the total mix ration (TMR): low F:C (50% forage) with FL, high F:C (65% forage) with FL. In experiment 2, calves were fed the same TMR with same ingredients and nutrient composition but differing in particle length of hay: treatments were lower F:C (50% forage) with short length (SL), higher F:C (65% forage) with SL.
Source: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research