Effect of feeding duration and rumen fill on behaviour in dairy cows

The aim of the present experiment was to test the hypothesis that oral manipulation of feed is a behavioural need in cattle, irrespective of actual rumen load. Twelve rumen fistulated cows were used and subjected to four different treatments: low rumen content+long duration of eating (A), high rumen content+short duration of eating (B), high rumen content+long duration of eating (=positive control) (C) and low rumen content+short duration of eating (=negative control) (D). To obtain treatment A and B, rumen content was transferred by hand from cow A to B through the rumen fistulaes. Each treatment lasted for 3 days with 2 weeks of recovery between each new treatment. The experiment was repeated twice during two consecutive years. All cows were fed the same mixture of silage, concentrate and hay. The cows were videotaped under normal conditions (24h), and on the third day of the experiment. From these videotapes, the behaviours (frequency and duration per 24h) have been analysed.Time spent eating differed between the four treatments (P<0.001), with shortest eating-times in B and D. The cows with low rumen content (A and D) spent shorter time ruminating (P<0.001) than the cows with filled rumen (B and C). The B and D cows (short duration of eating) spent longer time (P<0.001) with behaviours related to feed-searching than the cows with long duration of eating (A and C). The C cows had fewer (P<0.001) bouts of behaviours related to feed-searching than the A, B and D cows. Time spent with stereotypies (tongue-rolling) was longer (P<0.01) in D than in the other treatments. There was a difference (P<0.001) between treatments in eating bouts. The A cows had more (P<0.05) eating bouts than the cows in B, C and D. The cows with low rumen content (A and D) had fewer ruminating bouts (P<0.001) than the cows with filled rumens (B and C). The number of bouts with stereotypies differed (P<0.01), the cows in D having the highest figures compared with all the other treatments.In conclusion, our results support the hypothesis that oral manipulation of feed is a behavioural need in cattle irrespective of rumen load. A low duration of feeding behaviours combined with a low rumen load, which is a common practice in certain categories of growing cattle or dry dairy cows, seriously impairs the welfare in cattle.