The Behaviour and Productivity of Mid-Lactation Dairy Cows Provided Daily Pasture Allowance over 2 or 7 Intensively Grazed Strips

Recent technological advances will soon allow pastoral dairy farmers to manage their cattle using increasingly intense and complex grazing regimes. Ensuring there is merit in the implementation of more intense grazing regimes will minimise the potential misuse of this technology and the associated consequences of misuse for animal welfare and productivity. Two groups of dairy cattle were provided with the same amount of fresh pasture over either 2 or 7 feeds per day. Cows that received pasture over 7 feeds produced less milk and spent less time ruminating, but more time resting, per day. However, feeding frequency did not affect the time cows spent feeding or estimated pasture consumption. Increasing the frequency of feeding restricts the amount of pasture available to cattle at any one time. In response, cattle adjust their ingestive behaviour (e.g., adopt high intake rates) which may negatively impact digestive processes. The success of more intensive pastoral dairy production requires grazing regimes that support the natural ingestive, digestive, and social behaviours of cattle, rather than necessitating cattle to substantially alter their behaviour in accordance with the grazing regime imposed upon them