Preference by sheep and goats among hay of eight tall fescue cultivars

La Preferencia de las Ovejas y Cabras entre Heno de Ocho Cultivares de Grama Alta

Burns, J.C. and Fisher, D.S. and Mayland, H.F. (2001) Preference by sheep and goats among hay of eight tall fescue cultivars. Journal of Animal Science. 79:213-224.

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Abstract

Grazing ruminants use both visual cues
and taste in selecting their diet. Preference during grazing
may not be the same when forage is dried for hay
and cut into lengths prior to feeding in confinement.
Eight cultivars of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea
Schreb.), previously evaluated for preference while
grazed, were harvested three times over a period of 2
yr. The hays were air-dried, baled, and passed through
a hydraulic bale processor prior to feeding. Five experiments
were conducted. All three harvests were evaluated
with sheep and the last two also with goats, using
six animals each time. During an adaptation phase,
hays were offered alone as meals. In the experimental
phase, every possible pair of hays (28 pairs) was presented
for a meal. Data were analyzed by multidimensional
scaling and by traditional analyses. Preference
was significant among cultivars in all experiments.
Multidimensional scaling showed that selection was
based on two criteria with two dimensions being significant.
Sheep preferred KENHY followed by KENTUCKY
31 and STARGRAZER but preferenced against
BARCEL. HIMAG, MO-96, and C1 were intermediate
and MOZARK was variable. Goats were similar to
sheep in preferring KENHY followed by STARGRAZER
and selected against MOZARK and BARCEL. KENTUCKY
31, HIMAG, MO-96, and Cl were intermediate.
In all five experiments, the general association was
positive for available carbohydrate fractions and negative
for fiber fractions that contribute to cell wall rigidity.

Item Type:	Article
NWISRL Publication Number:	1026
Subjects:	Animal > Feed preference Irrigated crops > Grass forage > Animal preference Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User:	Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited:	20 Nov 2010 21:50
Last Modified:	14 Nov 2016 18:59
Item ID:	114
URI:	https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/114