Efectos de la calidad del forraje, fresco o henificado, sobre el comportamiento alimentario del canero (ovis aries)

The objective of this work was to study the influence of the quality and physical form of voluminous fodder over the feeding behavior of sheep. Six adult male Pelibuey, 40-45Kg weigh, were placed in metabolism cages and fed once a day with four different diets: green fodder, chopped good and bad large hay and ground bad hay. All the diets were composed by star grass (Cynodon mlenfuensis) and water ad-libitum. In a latin square incomplete design with an analysis of simple variance and Duncan’s test, two of the sheep were put as control animals and received ground bad hay; the other four rotated receiving each diet for seven days. In both cases, there was a continuous mandibular, circadian mecanographic register during the last 48 hours. Results showed less ingestion time, rumination and mericique cycles with higher resting and DM consumption time and less water intake within the green fodder diet. Ground hay has lower effect over the ingestion, rumination, and resting time, but for this form of fodder conservation the consumption of DM and water increases. The durability of voluminous portions of food decreases with the quality of the fodder. The daily durability of ingestion and rumination in green fodder decreases as the unitary durability of ingestion presents differences between fodders; rumination is higher for the bad large hay. Chewing effort is higher for the good large hay. The Rumination Daily Roughage Index is greater for the good large hay. Results are discussed.