A note on rate of eating in sheep

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.