A new method for recording mastication during eating and ruminating in sheep

Abstract

A new method for recording jaw movements (JM) oscillations (JMO) in sheep is described. The principle used to record JMO is the changing position of the magnetic field from a magnet relative to a small Hall sensor, when both were positioned in a soft tube surrounding the mouth. The signal was sampled at 20 Hz by a logger hanged in a wheel joint allowing the sheep to move around freely in a small pen. The individual JM were identified and clustered into cycles. Recorded JMO, JM and cycles are presented from an ewe eating and ruminating grass silage.