Abstract ▼ AI-Helper

Spatial distribution of faeces by Japanese Black heifers and steers was investigated. The animals grazed a bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum $Fl\ddot{u}gge$) pasture in the daytime from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and spent the rest of the day in a barn. The pasture consisted of three paddocks, an alley...

Spatial distribution of faeces by Japanese Black heifers and steers was investigated. The animals grazed a bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum $Fl\ddot{u}gge$) pasture in the daytime from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and spent the rest of the day in a barn. The pasture consisted of three paddocks, an alley and a resting area, and the paddocks were grazed rotationally. The number of defecations and the faecal weight excreted in the pasture were greater than those expected from the proportion of time that the animals spent in the pasture. These values were correspondingly smaller in the barn. The distribution of faeces to the paddock, alley and resting area of the pasture was usually not proportional to the area of the respective places. The number of defeations and the faecal weight were usually distributed less densely in the paddock than in the resting area. The degree of aggregation of defecation in the paddock, alley and resting area varied with the meteorological factors such as the air temperature, solar radiation and rainfall during the grazing, and the intake of hay supplement of the previous day.

주제어