Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1995,
55: 183-185
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 1995,
55: 183-185
Alpacas and sheep spent similar time grazing (8.7 vs 8.5 ± 0.1 hrs) and ruminating (2.2 vs 2.6 ± 0.2 hrs); alpacas had faster rumination rates than sheep (108 ± 0.16 vs 95 ± 0.30 chews/min, P<0.001), but biting rates during grazing were similar (41 ± 0.89 vs 41 ± 0.80 bites/min). The distribution of these activities was very different. Alpacas spent much more time grazing during the day than sheep (63 vs 48 ± 1.7% of time between 0700 and 1300 hrs, P<0.001; 63 vs 24 ± 1.9% of time between 1300 and 1900 hrs, P<0.001), and substantially less in the evening (12 vs 24 ± 2.3% of time between 1900 and 0100 hrs, P<0.001). Conversely, alpacas spent much more time ruminating during the night (27 vs 17 ± 0.95% of time between 0100 and 0700 hrs, P<0.001). It is suggested that these may be inherited patterns reflecting traditional night corralling procedures for alpacas in their native area; they may limit the ability of alpacas to adjust to prolonged periods of daytime penning.
Sheep selected for ryegrass in mixed pastures, whereas alpaca selected against this species (x2=9.3; P<0.01); responses to other plant species did not differ significantly between alpaca and sheep. Alpacas showed more patchy grazing than sheep. These behavioural traits indicate the need for mixed or alternate grazing management to maintain pasture quality.
Keywords: NZSAPAB; alpaca; sheep; grazing; rumination; diet selection.
