[Consumption and ruminating behavior of sheep. 4. Experiments on young female sheep in different rearing intensities]. / Untersuchungen zum Verzehrs- und Wiederkauverhalten an Schafen. 4. Mitteilung. Versuche an weiblichen Jungschafen bei unterschiedlicher Aufzuchtintensität.

In the framework of two rearing experiments with female merino meat sheep, measurings of the consumption and ruminating behaviour were carried out. Animals raised with a lot of roughage ruminated longer both in their lamb and young sheep periods. An increased quota of roughage in the ration increased both the ruminating time and the number of chewing moves and cycles significantly for young sheep. The dry matter intake capacity of animals raised with high quotas of roughage was by 14 and 8% resp. higher in the lamb period and by 26 and 18% resp. higher in the young sheep period. Rations with 24% chopped and dried green fodder and 11 ... 14% resp. crude fibre brought about a period of more than 6 hours ruminating and a minimum of 22,000 ruminating movements per day for lambs. Young sheep raised with high quotas of roughage showed an increased ruminating activity in subsequent periods of sole feeding with roughage.

[Consumption and ruminating behavior in sheep. 5. Continuous registration and recording of consumption and rumination dependent jaw movements in sheep based on acceleration measurements]. / Untersuchungen zum Verzehrs- und Wiederkauverhalten an Schafen. 5. Mitteilung. Die kontinuierliche Erfassung und Aufzeichnung verzehrs- und wiederkaubedingter Kieferbewegungen an Schafen auf der Grundlage von Beschleunigungsmessungen.

A method of the registration of the feed intake and ruminating behaviour of sheep which uses piezoelectric converters was tested. The appliance-technological solution and the feasibility and routine measurings are described. It showed that measurings on the basis of acceleration registration produced similar results as the 'halter method with plate feelers' used so far and that disturbance of the test animals is reduced.

[Eating and ruminating behavior of sheep. 2. Experiments in pregnant and lactating ewes fed with a straw-concentrate mixture]. / Untersuchungen zum Verzehrs- und Wiederkauverhalten an Schafen. 2. Mitteilung. Versuche an hochtragenden und laktierenden Mutterschafen beim Einsatz von Stroh-Konzentrat-Gemischen.

Fertility oriented ewes in the late stage of gestation and during the lactation period received 19 feeding regimes on the basis of straw-concentrate mixtures, which essentially differed in the feedstuff structure. The ewes fed ad libitum on average used between 5 and 6 hours per day feed intake in the 86 measuring periods. The average daily ruminating time ranged from 398 to 502 minutes. An increasing straw content resulted in significantly longer ruminating periods and a higher number of masticatory movements, additional quotas of long straw had non effect. But even the most unfavourable feeding variants (straw-concentrate mixtures with 40% straw meal treated with NaOH) elicited 21 100 ruminating masticatory movements in 5 hours of ruminating. There were no significant differences between the absolute consumption and ruminating activities in the late stage of gestation and the lactation period; with reference to feed and crude fibre intake the ruminating expenditure in the late stage of gestation was always significantly higher. Rations with a low structural effect resulted in a more unbalanced distribution of consumption and ruminating activities in the course of the day than well structured rations.