Delivery method and supplement consumption by grazing ruminants: a review

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Nutritional Science
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Supplementation programs are crucial for grazing livestock, but their effectiveness hinges on consistent supplement intake.
• Variability in individual animal consumption affects program success and nutrient delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review factors influencing individual animal supplement consumption variation in grazing cattle and sheep.
• To identify factors affecting the proportion of animals meeting target supplement intake.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of factors affecting supplement intake variation.
• Analysis of supplement type, feeding method, social interactions, and forage availability.
• Exclusion of palatability effects from the analysis.

Main Results:

• Limited trough space, small allowances, self-feeding, neophobia, and group feeding increase the proportion of non-consumers.
• Excessive trough space, limited allowances, self-feeding, neophobia, and individual feeding increase intake variation.
• Optimal feeding competition may reduce variation and improve target consumption, but this optimum is context-dependent.

Conclusions:

• Understanding factors influencing supplement intake variation is key to improving supplementation program effectiveness.
• Management strategies should consider feeding competition levels to optimize supplement delivery to grazing livestock.
• Further research is needed to clearly identify factors that ensure animals consume target supplement amounts.