Hesselmann Mira, Thorne Sarah, Vitra Amarante, Steiner Andrea K, Leiber Florian, Dittmann Marie T
Department of Livestock Science, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070, Frick, Switzerland.
Vet Anim Sci. 2025 Mar 3;28:100439. doi: 10.1016/j.vas.2025.100439. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Selective foraging has been reported in many wild and domesticated ruminants, yet modern livestock production systems rarely allow animals to express this natural behaviour. However, it is assumed that giving livestock the opportunity for forage selection positively influences their health and welfare. This study investigated the forage selection of individual dairy cows on pasture. Over one grazing season, a herd of 23 dairy cows was observed grazing on an experimental pasture in Switzerland, which consisted of different plant mixtures. The cows had unrestricted access to all mixtures and their individual foraging behaviour was documented by scan sampling. The four mixtures were rich in grasses (G), grasses and legumes (L), grasses and tanniferous plants (T), and grasses and herbs containing essential oils (E). The results revealed a partial preference for the L mixture at herd level across all grazing rotations ( ≤ 0.001). All mixtures were frequented, indicating that the herd utilized the array of available plants. Individual preferences varied and not all cows followed the herd's average pattern. Individual preferences shifted throughout the grazing season, but the pattern of this variability differed between animals. The findings demonstrate that dairy cows actively select from different pasture plants and that preferences vary between individuals and over time. Importantly, average herd preferences do not accurately represent the behaviour of all cows. Individual preferences should be considered when aiming to meet the foraging needs of all herd members.
许多野生和家养反刍动物都有选择性觅食的报道，但现代畜牧生产系统很少让动物表现出这种自然行为。然而，人们认为给牲畜选择草料的机会会对它们的健康和福利产生积极影响。本研究调查了牧场中个体奶牛的草料选择情况。在一个放牧季节里，观察了一群23头奶牛在瑞士一个试验牧场上的放牧情况，该牧场由不同的植物混合物组成。奶牛可以无限制地获取所有混合物，通过扫描取样记录它们的个体觅食行为。这四种混合物分别富含草类（G）、草类和豆科植物（L）、草类和含单宁植物（T）以及草类和含精油草本植物（E）。结果显示，在所有放牧轮次中，整个牛群对L混合物有部分偏好（≤0.001）。所有混合物都有奶牛光顾，这表明牛群利用了一系列可用植物。个体偏好各不相同，并非所有奶牛都遵循牛群的平均模式。个体偏好在整个放牧季节都会发生变化，但这种变化模式在不同动物之间存在差异。研究结果表明，奶牛会主动从不同的牧场植物中进行选择，而且个体偏好会因个体和时间而异。重要的是，牛群的平均偏好并不能准确反映所有奶牛的行为。在旨在满足所有牛群成员的觅食需求时，应考虑个体偏好。
