Abstract
The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of two feeding levels and two breeds on the daily activity budget of indoor-housed lactating beef cows fed total mixed ration (TMR). We used a total of 20 cows from Parda de Montaña (PA, n = 14) and Pirenaica (PI, n = 6) breeds. To evaluate the feeding level, PA cows were fed the TMR at the maintenance level and in a restricted amount. To evaluate the breed effect, PA and PI cows were fed at maintenance. All cows were video recorded for 24 consecutive hours at weeks 3, 8 and 13 of lactation. Scan sampling at 10-min intervals was used to obtain information on their daily activity budget. The restricted feeding level did not affect the time standing or lying, but it reduced the time eating the TMR and increased the time exploring and/or eating straw bedding. Both breeds showed a similar daily activity budget, except for the time that they spent foraging straw, which was lower in PA than in PI breed. In conclusion, feeding level and breed of lactating beef cows fed on TMR during the indoor housing period did not affect the main contributors to the daily activity budget.
Highlights
The first step toward better animal welfare is to understand the animals’ needs [1]
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of feeding level in housed Parda de Montaña (PA) beef cows
The time eating the total mixed ration (TMR) was lower than the observed in dairy cows cows (30–38 kg ofyield) in other studies ranging from to 7.7 h/day
Summary
The first step toward better animal welfare is to understand the animals’ needs [1]. Some of these needs are relatively simple, such as nutrition. Beef cows may be allotted indoors during periods of pasture scarcity. Cows are normally supplied with preserved forages (hays or silages) sometimes supplemented with concentrates during lactation. Allow a balanced supply of forage to concentrate ratio in normal practices. Farmers often determine restricted feeding levels, below ad libitum intake by the cows, to reduce costs considerably
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