[Consumption and ruminating behavior in sheep. 3. Experiments on infertile female sheep of different breeds with...

Ewes of the breeds merino fattening sheep, Stavropol merino and fertility hybrid were studied as to their consumption and ruminating behaviour after receiving a pelleted straw-concentrate mixture, maize silage and wilted silaged grass. During the feeding periods of 2 X 45 min or 2 X 180 min/d unlimited rations were available to the animals. With 86 min/d the sheep used the short feeding period nearly completely for feed intake. In the longer feeding period the sheep consumed 18% more feed in 161 min/d, ate more slowly, however, and ruminated somewhat less. In comparison with the straw-concentrate mixture, the silage rations were ruminated for shorter periods and less effectively, the number of ruminating movements per day and cycle was reduced, the breaks between bites became longer. The wilted grass silage stimulated ruminating even less than chopped maize silage. There were significant differences between the breeds in the ruminating frequency, which affected the number of ruminating movements per day and cycle.