Estimating optimal observational sampling frequency of behaviors for cattle fed high- and low-forage diets.

ABSTRACT: Video recordings of behavioral activities including eating, ruminating, drinking, standing, and lying were monitored to determine the minimum number of sampling days and sampling frequency required to obtain reliable estimates of these behaviors. Eight continental crossbred heifers, individually housed in a tie-stall barn with total mixed ration provided once per day, were divided by BW into two blocks and assigned to each of the two dietary treatments in a crossover design: high-forage diet (HF, forage:concentrate ratio 70:30) and low-forage diet (LF, forage:concentrate ratio 30:70). The cows were monitored continuously using a digital video recording system for 6 d in each of the two periods and a trained observer manually recorded the behavioral activities by minute. Mean time spent per

SUBMITTER: Dong RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6178966 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature