A note on rate of eating in sheep

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Abstract
SUMMARY: Sheep ate significantly faster during the first 30 min after being offered fresh food when they were fed on ground, pelleted dried grass than when fed on long hay; chopped dried grass was eaten at an intermediate speed. Rate of eating of the unground diets was negatively related to mean retention time and positively related to total voluntary intake.In a second experiment, rate of eating during the 30 min after feeding was significantly faster when hay was fed at two-thirds of the ad libitum rate than when it was fed ad libitum, irrespective of whether penning was individual or in groups of six.