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Synchronization of ingestive behaviour by grazing dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

A. J. Rook  and
C. A. Huckle
A. J. Rook
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon EX20 2SB
C. A. Huckle
Affiliation:
Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon EX20 2SB
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Abstract

The synchronization of eating, ruminating and idling activity by lactating dairy cows grazing a perennial ryegrass-white clover sward was studied. Synchronization was defined as the number of pairs of cows engaged in a particular activity as a proportion of the total possible number of pairs and was compared with random expectation using a kappa statistic. All three activities were significantly more synchronized than random expectation. This suggests that wherever possible individual cows should not be treated as replicates in grazing experiments.

Keywords

dairy cowsgrazingsynchronization
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 60 , Issue 1 , February 1995 , pp. 25 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1995

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