New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Animal constraints to pasture treated with farm dairy effluent: Preference
under grazing and issues of faecal contamination
R. D. LONGHURST
M. B. O'CONNOR
K. BREMNER
L. MATTHEWS
AgResearch
Ruakura Agricultural Centre
Private Bag 3123
Hamilton, New Zealand
Abstract A behavioural study was conducted during spring 1997
to investigate acceptance by dairy cows of grazing pasture recently sprayed
with farm dairy effluent (FDE) and to measure the extent of faecal bacterial
decline. The field experiment was laid out with six strips of six treatments.
FDE was applied to small plots (2 m2) at a rate of 140 000 l
ha-1 at 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 days prior to grazing, with one plot
(control) within each strip receiving no FDE. Pasture measurements were taken
pre- and post-grazing and a pasture sample was collected for faecal coliform
concentrations. Six mature cows were used and one cow was allowed to graze
freely along one strip for 20 minutes. Residence time and number of bites on
each plot were recorded. Pasture measurements showed that there was a
significant difference between the amount of pasture consumed from a plot and
the length of time since effluent application. Significant differences were
also observed for bite numbers and residence time between FDE treatments.
Faecal coliform concentrations were significantly higher on the most recently
treated plots but on the plots sampled after 10 or more days faecal coliform
concentrations were not different from the control plots.
Keywords farm dairy effluent; dairy cows; grazing behaviour;
faecal coliforms
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2000, Vol. 43: 501-507
0028-8233/00/4304-0501 $7.00/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand
2000
PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1479K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)
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