Abstract
Components of short‐term ingestive behaviour (bite weight, rate, depth, area, and volume) were recorded for six sheep and six goats grazing five grasses and four legumes each at two stages of growth (vegetative and reproductive). Animals were individually confined in metabolism crates and were offered prepared turves (41 × 27 cm) extracted from small monoculture field plots. Correlation relationships between sets of sward and ingestive behaviour variables were assessed using canonical analysis to evaluate the relative importance of individual variables within their own set in contributing to the sward effects (sward set) on ingestive behaviour, or to the animal responses (behaviour set) to sward variation. Overall, sward characteristics had a strong impact upon ingestive behaviour (canonical correlation = 0.95). In general, sward height had a greater effect (absolute value of standardised coefficient: AVSC = 1.184) on ingestive behaviour than did other sward characteristics (AVSC = 0.001–0.212), ...
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