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Juan Villalba and Beth Burritt USU Extension IVC 12/13/12
Using new knowledge on grazing behavior to manage weeds and health in ruminants. Juan Villalba and Beth Burritt Traditional grazing approaches have not considered new knowledge on foraging behavior like the importance of positive experiences early in life with specific feeds. These experiences (with mother or the appropriate supplement) can have life-long influences on livestock, causing changes in the brain and physiology of animals. These changes influence foraging behavior. Thus, preferences for unpalatable and invasive plant species could be enhanced if we understand how livestock (the weed managers) "perceive" the plant as a result of their previous experiences with it. In addition to acquiring a balanced diet, grazing animals must cope with other challenges like gastrointestinal parasitism. Many plant tissues contain plant secondary metabolites (eg, tannins) which can greatly benefit animal health if they are ingested at appropriate concentrations. Herbivores are able to recognize this benefit and form preferences for medicinal plants (eg, tannin-containing plants) when sick; ie, they self-medicate. If parasitized herbivores learn to self-medicate, animals offered a variety of pastures would consume tannin-rich vegetation when needed and at the needed doses while grazing other nutritious forages such that their nutrition would not be compromised.From:USUExtensionViews:3 0ratingsTime:56:03More inEducation

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