grazing animal behavior
DESCRIPTION
Grazing Animal Behavior. USDA - ARS. K. Launchbaugh. Basis for Animal Behavior. What affects how animals behave: Born with certain abilities: Inherited abilities Physical, Sensory & Physiological Abilities Born knowing what to do: Called “Instincts” Learn how behave. Inherited Abilities. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Grazing Animal Behavior
K. Launchbaugh USDA - ARS
Basis for Animal BehaviorWhat affects how animals behave: Born with certain abilities:
Inherited abilities Physical, Sensory & Physiological Abilities
Born knowing what to do: Called “Instincts”
Learn how behave
Physical abilities affect what animals eat Ability to eat cellulose
Capture and Consume Prey
Inherited Abilities
Carnivore
Omnivore
Herbivore
Roughage Feeder (grass)
Intermediate Feeder (forbs)
Concentrate Feeder (browse)
Select Correct SpeciesGrass
Forb
Browse
Inherited Abilities
Percent Slope
Per
cent
of O
bser
vatio
ns
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80+
CattleHorsesDeerBighorn
Figure 10.2 Relationship of slope gradient to the percentage of observations of cattle, feral horses, deer, and bighorn sheep. (From Ganskopp and Vavra 1987)
Physical abilities affect where animals eat
1210 1300 1390
0 500 1000 1500 2000
1210 1300 1390
0 500 1000 1500 2000
(Bailey et al. 2001; J. Anim. Sci.)
Select Correct Breed
Select Correct Breed
(Winder et al. 1996, J. Range Manage.)
Brangus…..traveled further from waterthan…..Hereford or Angus
Brangus consumed different diets than Hereford or Angus
Inherited Behaviors - Instincts Mammals know how to find milk and stay
close to mother. Basic ideas of what is cover
& how to hide Preference for salty foods Preference for sweet…
not sure
Washington Dept. of Fish &
Wildlife
Behavioral characteristics can be inherited Example = Guard Dogs vs Herding Dogs
Inherited Behavior - Instincts
Consequences+-
BehaviorBehave
Behavior results from consequences
Basics of Animal Behavior
Behavior
4 Basic Learning Paradigms
“Good” Consequence “Bad Consequence”
Add or Apply
Behavior Increases(Positive Reinforcement)
Behavior Decreases(Positive Punishment)
Remove Behavior Decreases(Negative Punishment)
Behavior Increases(Negative Reinforcement)
Early life experiences are influential
Young animals clearly learn what to eat avoid from their mother
0
100
200
300
400
None Alone Mother
3 Months 34 Months
Inta
ke o
f whe
at, g
/d
Exposure to Wheat (1 h/d for 5 d at 6 wk age)
Learning from Mother
Early Life Experience is Influential
Preferences are formed
Early dietary experience
Goats - 6 weeks old Experienced: raised on blackbrush range Inexperienced: drylot fed alfalfa pellets
Weaned at 26 weeks Week 28 - offered all goats blackbrush in
pens
Distel & Provenza 1991
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
day of trial
gram
s bl
ackb
rush
eat
en
ExperiencedInexperienced
Early dietary experience
Animals must learn how to eat Build Foraging Skills
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DbUaZ3SHH8&feature=plcp
Skin Defense System:
Touch Pain Avoid
Animals learn based on consequences
Gut Defense System:
Eat Plant(taste)
DigestiveFeedback
+-
Preference
Aversion
Animals learn based on consequences
DigestiveFeedback Aversion
Aversion Aversion
Aversion Aversion
PreferencePreference Preference
Preference PreferenceEat
Plant(taste)
Animals learn based on consequences
Nausea(LiCl)
No Feedback (empty capsule)
Mountain-Mahogany
Conditioned Aversions
Conditioned Aversions
1 2 3 4 50
20
40
60
80
100
120N
umbe
r of B
ites
Lambs quit eating mountain mahogany when consumption was followed by nausea.
Control
Averted(LiCl 3g/day)
Terpenes in sagebrush limit intake of sagebrush
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 10 20 30
Inta
ke o
f Rat
ion
(g/d
ay/k
g B
W)
Sagebrush Levels in Ration (%)
Gut Defense System:
Eat Plant(taste)
DigestiveFeedback
+-
Preference
Aversion
Animals learn based on consequences
DigestiveFeedback Aversion
Aversion Aversion
Aversion Aversion
PreferencePreference Preference
Preference PreferenceEat
Plant(taste)
Animals learn based on consequences
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsGAIxDldAg&feature=plcp
Conditioned Preference
e Feedbackstarch
Controlwater
Straw
0
20
40
60
80
100
9 17 25 33
water starch
Inta
ke o
f str
aw, g
Day
Energy Increases Palatability
Nutrient – Toxin Interactions
How to get sheep to eat more sagebrush?
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
Sheep Goats
Unsupplemented Supplemented
Inta
ke o
f Sag
ebru
sh, g
Nutrient - Toxin Interactions
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 150
10
20
30
40
50
60
Day
Sag
ebru
sh, %
Sca
ns
Supplemented
Unsupplemented
Use of Sagebrush by Sheep
Select animals that naturally possess the desired ingestive characteristics
Breed animals with these abilities
Prepare animals with prescribed dietary experiences
Offer animals nutritional or pharmaceutical resources to aid in digestion or detoxification
Creating “Designer” livestock
For More information:
www.behave.net