Jgp. Bowman et Bf. Sowell, DELIVERY METHOD AND SUPPLEMENT CONSUMPTION BY GRAZING RUMINANTS - A REVIEW, Journal of animal science, 75(2), 1997, pp. 543-550
The effectiveness of supplementation programs is affected by the abili
ty to reduce intake variation and to meet target supplement consumptio
n. A review was made of factors affecting variation in individual anim
al consumption of supplement by grazing cattle and sheep, including su
pplement type and feeding method, animal dominance and social interact
ions, and forage availability. The effects of palatability were not in
cluded. The proportion of animals not consuming supplement is increase
d by Limited trough space, small supplement allowance, self-fed supple
ments, neophobia to feed or feed delivery devices, and group feeding s
ituations. Variation in individual animal supplement intake is increas
ed by excessive trough space, limited supplement allowance, self-fed s
upplements, feed and feed delivery equipment neophobia, and individual
feeding of supplements. Factors influencing the percentage of animals
consuming the target amount of supplement need to be more clearly ide
ntified. There seems to be an optimum level of feeding competition tha
t reduces intake variation and improves the proportion of animals cons
uming adequate amounts of supplement, but this optimum varies with the
feeding situation.