Effects of Processing Technology in StipaPellets on the Grazing and Ruminating Behavior of Sheep

DU Zhu-mei;JIA Yu-shan;SUN Lin;CHENG Qi-ming;GE Gen-tu;College of Grassland and Resource Environmental Science,Inner Mongolia Agricultural University;Key Laboratory of Prataculture Grassland Resources,Ministry of Education;Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural & Animal Husbandry Sciences;

Stipapellets;;Feeding behavior;;Ruminating behavior;;Ujumqin sheep

L4(23)orthogonal experiment was designed according to 3 factors influencing the quality of Stipapellets in the pellets processing,that is grinding pellets size,pellets diameter and raw material moisture.The grazing and ruminating behavior of sheep fed with Stipapellets under different conditions was studied.The results showed that the moisture content of raw materials had no effects on the feed intake and ruminating behavior of the sheep,and the effects of grinding particle size and pellets diameter were significant.The intake ration,day and night ruminating time and ruminating cycle amount of grinding pellets size of 6mm was significantly higher than that of the grinding pellets at size 8mm(P<0.05),but the break time and wandering time were significantly lower than that of the grinding pellets at size of 8mm(P<0.05);The day and night ruminating food pellet numbers of Stipapellets of the grinding pellets at the size of 6mm and the pellets diameter of 6mm was higher than that of the grinding pellets at size of 8 mm and the pellets diameter of 8mm pellets(P<0.05).In conclusion,in the condition that the fineness of grinding pellets size was 6mm and the pellet diameter was 6mm,the intake ration of the sheep was the highest,and the efficiency of ruminating was the most optimum.