It is not just what is fed but how we serve it through time — A varied pasture-based diet increases intake of lambs

Abstract

The effect of repetitive allocation of a fresh forage diet or varying the availability of diet components on the dry matter intake (DMI) and rumen characteristics of sheep is not fully understood. To determine if repeated feed allocation affected DMI and rumen characteristics, 21 Coopworth rams were allocated to one of three treatments: repetition of ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.; RR), repetition of a mix (RM) of ryegrass, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), chicory (Cichorium intybus L.), or plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) or varied diet (VD; selection from equal parts DM of two feeds: ryegrass, alfalfa, chicory, or plantain in the AM (0700 h to 1600 h), with the remaining two feeds allocated in the PM (1600 h to 0700 h). All plants by feeding time combinations were randomized by day for the VD. Diets were fed ad libitum for 38 days and DMI was recorded. The VD improved DMI (20 and 10%, respectively) and reduced the day-to-day coefficient of variation of DMI (29 and 23%, respectively) compared with the RR and RM diets. The diet components of each of the diverse diets (RM and VD) resulted in a greater percentage of the rumen volatile fatty acids (VFAs) being comprised of butyrate and valerate. Further research is required to determine if this difference in DMI was the result of the ability to choose between different feeds or if it was the temporal variation in feed availability.