Effects of intensive silvopastoral systems on bovine ingestive behavior in three contrasting tropical regions

Abstract

In cattle, ingestive behavior is influenced by factors such as pasture quality, feeding efficiency, and environmental impact. This study aimed to quantify the time spent on intake, rumination, and rest in animals grazing in intensive silvopastoral systems (SPSs) across three farms (highland dairy, lowland dairy, and lowland beef) in different life zones of Colombia, with a focus on the effects of shade and forage. To assess herd performance, confined and grazing animals receiving a typical silvopastoral diet were compared. For the grazing group, forage offer and intake were calculated via dual sampling two days before the behavior evaluation. The confined group included two representative animals per herd, with 15 days of diet adaptation and 9 days of evaluation. Dry matter and drinking water intake were recorded. Over 48 consecutive hours, the following activities were monitored: forage intake, standing rumination, lying rumination, standing rest, and lying rest. The data were processed via correspondence analysis. Forage intake occurred mostly during daylight hours, with animals spending 7-10 hours/day on this activity (35% of their time). The forage intake rates were 1.44, 0.713, and 0.490 kg DM/animal/h for the highland dairy, lowland dairy, and lowland beef farms, respectively. Rumination mainly occurred while lying down at night, with a daily average of 8 hours (30.5% of the day). Standing rumination lasted 1.3 hours (5.2%), standing rest took 2 hours (9%), and lying rest took 4.5 hours (19.5%). No signs of heat stress were observed, even durin hi h-risk eriods for Holstein cattle.