Publication: Feeding Behavior Traits Associated with Feed Efficiency

The September 2022 Journal of Dairy Science published a paper by researchers from CDCB, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Michigan State University, examining feeding behavior as an indicator trait for feed efficiency. The potential to use precision livestock farming technologies that are less expensive and more readily available – compared to the individual intake recording systems commonly used to measure residual feed intake – could further advance evaluations for feed efficiency. The team examined results from 31 experiments conducted from 2009 to 2020 involving Holstein cows and automated intake recording systems. They concluded that measures of feeding behavior could be useful indicators of dairy cow feed efficiency, and individual cows that eat at a slower rate may be more feed efficient.
 
Estimates of genetic parameters for feeding behavior traits and their associations with feed efficiency in Holstein cows. Journal of Dairy Science, September 2022. Cavani, L., W.E. Brown, K.L. Parker Gaddis, R.J. Tempelman, M.J. VandeHaar, H.M. White, F. Peñagaricano, and K.A. Weigel