Consequences Behavior Consequences Consequences Consequences Behavior Mother Knows Best Number of biteslamb Lambs Eat What Mom Eats and A voids W hat S he A voids even after weaning ID: 586955
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Slide1Slide2
Behavior Depends on ConsequencesSlide3
Consequences
Behavior
Consequences
ConsequencesSlide4
Consequences
BehaviorSlide5Slide6
Mother Knows BestSlide7
Number of bites/lamb
Lambs Eat What Mom Eats and
A
voids What
She A
voidsSlide8
. . .even after weaning
% of bites by lambs
Days after weaningSlide9
Neurology
Structure
Physiology
Experience Changes the BodySlide10
Experience changes the body
Brain structure and function
Liver function
Nitrogen recyclingRumen sizeRumen papilla size and numberSlide11
Foraging SkillsSlide12
Palatability: More than a Matter of TasteSlide13Slide14
Nutrients Increase PalatabilitySlide15
Toxins Decrease PalatabilitySlide16
Poisonous
Plants
Plants with ToxinsSlide17
Flavor allows animals to discriminate between foods.
Feedback tells the body whether a particular food flavor is useful or harmful.
Flavors apart from feedback are neither palatable or unpalatable
What is the purpose of flavor?Slide18
They can’t be that smart.
Changes in preferences for foods are automatic.
They don’t have to think about them.
At times, they are not rational.Slide19
Variety is the Spice of LifeSlide20
Monotony – Same Flavor
Intake (g)Slide21
Preference for Nutrients
Preference
Energy
Protein
Meal
High Energy
High ProteinSlide22
Most toxins limit intake, and cause animals to eat a variety of foodsSlide23
Toxins Limit Intake
Intake of oats, gSlide24
I never tried it I don’t like it
Neophobia
:Slide25
Animals Sample Novel Foods
Intake (g)
Day Slide26
Beijing
fast foodSlide27
Beijing
fast foodSlide28
Beijing
fast foodSlide29
Beijing
fast foodSlide30
Beijing
fast foodSlide31
How does
neophobia
keep animals safe and help them learn about new foods?Slide32Slide33
LiCl
Day
Familiar-Novel
Dichotomy
Rye – Novel Food
Corn
Alfalfa
Barley
OatsSlide34
Seek variety
New Food
Mom and Peers Eat
Feedback
+
Nutrients
+ Toxins
Same flavor
Palatable Familiar Foods
negative
Unpalatable Familiar Foods
Nutrients and Toxins
Mom and Peers Don’t Eat
New Food
How cattle learn about new foods
i
f familiar foods are inadequate
p
osi
tiveSlide35
How do cattle select their diets?
to forage
with companions
familiar foodsfoods high in nutrients and low in toxinst
o eat a variety of foodsfamiliar foods that are rare in the environment
They prefer:Slide36
. . . but
young dogs learn them
quicker.Slide37
Biodiversity and
Boom-bust GrazingSlide38
Inexperienced
Tannins
Terpenes
Oxalates
Experienced
e
x. bitterbrush
e
x. sagebrush
e
x.
lambsquarter
barley
a
lfalfa pellets
barley
a
lfalfa pelletsSlide39
Experience Affects Intake of Oxalates, Tannins and
Terpenes
Restricted
Ad libitum
Intake g/dSlide40
Ray’s cattle learned to “mix the best with the rest”
R
ather than “eat the best and leave the rest.”Slide41
Learning to Eat SagebrushSlide42
T
erpenes
limit intake of sagebrush
Daily Intake of Ration (g)
Terpene
Concentration in Ration (%)
Daily Intake of
Terpenes
(g
)Slide43
Supplemental nutrients - energy, protein - enhance intake of foods that contain toxinsSlide44
Intake of Sagebrush (g)
N
utrient
-Toxin InteractionsSlide45
Weight Changes (
lbs
)
Weight Changes of Cattle Eating Sagebrush During a Three Year Study18 to 19 days on sagebrush and supplementexp
expexp
inexpinexp
inexp
inexpSlide46
Same straw
Different performanceSlide47
Different experienceSlide48
Experience Influences Performance
Body weight
* * *
Body condition
* * *Milk production * * -
Post-partum interval * * -
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3Slide49
“Y
ou
gotta
check this out, Stuart. Vinnie
’
s over on the couch putting the moves on Zelda Schwartz - but he
’s talking
to the wrong end
”Slide50Slide51
Spring 2004
Fall 2005Slide52
Training
Cows
to Eat Weeds Slide53
. . . by reducing novelty and
providing
variety and positive
feedback.Slide54
1. Know your weed
Nutrients
Toxins
Nutrient/Toxin InteractionsSlide55
2. Work with the right animals
Young
Female
HealthyManageable in Number and TemperamentSlide56
3
. Build
on how animals learnReduce fear of new things
Make the unfamiliar seem familiarSlide57
4. Test animals in
trial pastures
SmallProvide a variety of foragesSlide58
Cattle in Feedlot and on PastureSlide59
Sometimes they may all look alike . . .
. . . but
e
ach one is a unique individualSlide60
Number of Individuals
Mean
Ability to Cope with Toxin X
Requirement for Nutrient XSlide61
Variation among GoatsSlide62
Food Preferences
Intake (g/d)
Individual lambSlide63
Total Mixed Ration
versus
Free Choice
corn, barley, alfalfa, corn silageSlide64
Mixed Ration
vs
Choice
Choice cost 19% less to feed than mixed.Cattle were able to meet individual needs.Slide65
Finishing Your Cattle
Expose young animals with their mothers to foods they will eat in the feedlot or to a variety of foods.
Use across the fence weaning techniques.
Remove cows and leave calves.Introduce animals to high concentrate foods slowly.Let animals balance their own ration. Give animals choice of appropriate foods.Slide66
Pasture Design
Mixtures versus Blocks
x o
x o x o x o x o x
o o x o x o x
o x o x o x x o
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
o
x
x
x x
o o o
x x x
o
o o
x
x x
o o o
x x x
o
o o
x
x x
o o o
x x x
o
o o
x
x x
o
o o
x x
x
o
o
o
x
x x
o
o o
x x
x
o
o
o
x
x x
o
o o
x x
x
o
o
oSlide67
Increases in Production on Grass-Clover Pastures
Sheep
25% increase in daily dry matter intake (265 g/
d)Dairy Cattle11% increase in milk production (2.4 kg/cow
/d)Slide68
D
iversity
enables individuals to regulate intake of nutrients and toxins
Planting PasturesSlide69
Moving to New LocationsSlide70
B
uy
replacement animals from areas that are similar to where his cattle forage.
Moving to New LocationsSlide71
Poisonous Plants
Gila versus Apache CountiesSlide72
Animals Prefer Familiar
- Toxic Plants -
to Unfamiliar Plantsin Unfamiliar EnvironmentsSlide73
Ease the transition
with familiar foodsSlide74
Changing Habitat PreferencesSlide75Slide76
1994
2001Slide77
1995
1998Slide78Slide79
Strategic supplementation improves use of forage and landscapesSlide80
Low moisture blocks (LMB) contain 2 – 4 % moisture.
LMB are available in 125 - 250
lb
containers. LMB (250 lb) only need to be replaced about once every 2 weeks when fed 1 barrel per 25 cows.Slide81
Low moisture block (LMB) effectively increased and focused grazing in moderate terrain.
LMB attracted cows to graze difficult terrain that typically was not used.Slide82
Low-moisture block can be placed with an ATV and trailer in steep, rocky terrainSlide83
Training is critical for supplement to be an effective tool to improve grazing distribution.
Animals must also know where supplement is located. Slide84
Learning to Use MedicinesSlide85
Animals eat to correct deficiency, not to prevent deficiencySlide86
Oxalate
Toxicosis
Tannin
ToxicosisGrain
Acidosis
PolyethyleneGlycol
DicalciumPhosphate
Illness
Medicines
BentoniteSlide87
Sheep learn to take their medicine
Control – Medicines not paired with illness
Treatment- Medicines paired with illness
correct
correct
correct
correctSlide88
Sheep learn to prefer foods that alleviate bloat.
Sheep
with internal parasites eat more foods that contain tannins than sheep without parasites.
Sheep infected with parasites avoid grazing tall patches of grass and prefer short grass. MedicinesSlide89
The question isn’t:
Do animals learn?
They learn everyday.
The question is: Do we as managers want to be
part of the process?Slide90
e
xtension.usu.edu
/behave
Department of Wildland Resourcesemail:
beth.burritt@usu.edu