Feeding Behavior

Feeding Behavior and Factors Affecting Feed Intake

Feeding behavior and digestive tract physiology are closely interrelated. The feeds normally consumed by animals are those they are capable of digesting.

Three major types of animal feeding behavior:

1. Carnivores – are adapted to a meat-based diet and require a high quality, highly digestible source of nutrients.

Carnivores have simple digestive tracts with little microbial activity. They require certain nutrients, such as performed vitamin A and taurine.

2. Herbivores – are animals that normally consume only plant material.

They have a more complex digestive tract with symbiotic microbial activity that permits the digestion of plant fiber. [ruminant, equine, and rabbits (have an enlarged cecum and colon)]

3. Omnivores – are animals that are not fastidious in their feeding behavior and consume a wide variety of animal and plant foods. [ swine, avian, poultry, turkey, humans ]

Factors Affecting Feed (Dry Matter) Intake –

A. Availability of Free-Choice Water – maximum intake can be achieved only with free-choice water available.

1. Inadequate water supply – when water is restricted, feed intake is reduced

2. Contaminated water – foul-tasting water or water containing a high level of total dissolved solids will result in reduced consumption of water and feed

B. Palatability – may be defined as the degree of acceptability of a feedstuff by an animal. Summation of taste, odor, appearance, texture and temperature of a feedstuff determine its degree of acceptance. Palatability may be affected by the chemical or physical nature of the feed or both.

1. Chemical factors

a. Taste – probably the major component of the palatability complex. The major taste responses are:

➢ Sweet taste –molasses; sucrose…. Typically enhances palatability

➢ Salty taste - salt

➢ Bitter or acidic – plant alkaloids, tannins, cyanogenic compounds...