Quantités d'herbe ingérées par les vaches laitières, les génisses et les moutons : effet de quelques facteurs de variation et comparaison entre ces types d'animaux

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Abstract
The level of intake of cut grass offered each day to sheep, dairy cows, dairy heifers and beef heifers (Charolais and Limousin) was measured in May, June and July in order to determine more accurately: amounts of grass ingested by very different types of cattle and used as a reference in the French system of fill units: relations between levels of grass intake in sheep and cattle. The green forage sample used corresponded to the total amount of grass cut and fed over a period of one week. The study concerned: 26 comparisons of sheep and dairy cows; 25 comparisons of sheep and dairy heifers; 17 comparisons of sheep and beef heifers. The plant-related factors of variation were first examined: the level of grass intake was, on an average, very similar between the first and the second growth cycle. During the first cycle it decreased from one week to another; the effect of dry matter content was not significant during our observations and that of digestibility was only significant for amounts ingested by beef heifers. If the effects of liveweight for all animals and of milk production for cows are subtracted the within-group coefficients of variation of amounts ingested were: -6.6% for dairy cows, -9.1% for dairy heifers, -7.9% fopr beef heifers. Levels of grass intake, expressed in g of DM/kg W0.75, in sheep (QIM) as related to cattle (QIVL, QIGL, QIGV) were determined. On account of these results, the levels of reference grass intake were the following: 75 g DM/kg W075 for sheep; 143 g DM/kg W0.75 for a 600 kg daily cow yielding 25 kg milk; 90 g DM/W0.75 daily heifer; 79 g DM/W0.75 for a 400 kg beef heifer.

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