Feeding and watering behavior of healthy and morbid steers in a commercialfeedlot

Our objective was to determine whether there were differences in feeding an d watering behavior of newly received healthy and morbid feedlot steers. Tw o separate 32-d feeding trials were conducted in Wellton, Arizona, in July and November 1996. Radio frequency technology was used to record individual animal behaviors from 108 (average weight 139 kg) and 143 (average weight 160 kg) steers in each respective trial. Steers that were subsequently iden tified as morbid were present at the feed bunk in greater percentages than reported in previous studies. In Trial 1, healthy steers spent more (P < .0 01) time at the feed bunk and had more (P < .009) feeding bouts than morbid steers. In Trial 2, healthy steers did not spend more time at the feed bun k, but they had more (P < .02) daily feeding bouts than morbid steers. Ther e were no differences in daily time spent at the water trough by healthy or morbid steers in either trial. The greatest proportion of feeding and wate ring behavior occurred during the daylight hours in response to feed delive ry. The pattern of time spent at the feed bunk throughout the 32-d feeding period was similar for healthy and subsequently morbid steers, but healthy steers had more feeding bouts per day.