| Many authors speculate that modern dairy cows have lost much of their evolutionarily honed behavioral and survival skills. The goals of my research were to increase the knowledge and understanding of some of the behavioral factors influencing dry matter intake (DMI) and milk production in supplemented high-producing dairy cows grazing pastures varying in species composition and quality, and to use this information to develop behavior-based management guidelines.;I first examined the influence of food neophobia, which is defined as the reluctance or fear of animals to consume foods with which they have no experience, in high-producing cows grazing pastures seeded to novel grass species. Second, I determined if dairy cows, when presented with pasture strips varying in nitrogen content, and thus brightness of hue, would visually discriminate among the strips and develop preferences. Third, since little is known about the associative biochemical interactions that occur among nutrients in concentrates and pastures that influence grazing behavior, diet selection, and milk production, I investigated the influence of feeding isoenergetic foods varying in crude protein on the diets selected by cows when provided with clearly different dietary choices--strips of all grass, grass plus clover, and all clover. Finally, although it is common practice in the dairy industry to feed monotonous diets to dairy cows to maintain high DMI, this is inconsistent with the notion of food aversion, which is the decrease in preference for a food just eaten. Accordingly, I assessed the role of providing cows with choices in diet selection.;Despite the widespread assertion that domestication has reduced behavioral adaptations, the collective results of my research indicate cows remain well adapted to learning about foods and adapting to new conditions much as their wild ancestors and relatives have done for millions of years. They assess and alter the intake of foods to maintain dietary homeostasis and milk production, thus proving dietary diversity is essential to the health and production of modern dairy cows. |
