The objetive of this research was to study the eating behavior of lactating Holstein cows grazing mixed species of elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.), ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and others spontaneous growth species. As differential of these pastures, was introduced white clover (Trifolium repens L.) or peanut forage (Arachis pintoi Krapov. & Greg.). Grazing eating behavior evaluations were taken on July, August and October of 2005. In each grazing eating behavior evaluation, six cows, between the second and fifth month of lactation, were observed in the periods from 18 to 6 h and 8 to 16 hours, every 10 minutes, by two observers. Grazing time of elephant grass (EG) in lines, grazing time of introduced species, established in interlines, and time of total grazing (EG grazing + interlines), rumination and idle were evaluated. Also, were evaluated the initial herbage mass, nutritional value of ingested forage and climatic conditions in the period. Grazing mean time in interline was 4 hours and 9 minutes for white clover and 3 hours and 6 minutes for peanut forage. Grazing mean time for elephant grass did not differ among the mix with white clover (4 hours and 27 minutes) and with peanut forage (5 hours and 51 minutes) as for rumination time and idle, which also did not differ among introduced species. The presence of winter forage is associated to the higher time of forage intake. The presence of species of different cycles enabled the animals to balance the forage diet.
elephant grass; ethology; forage peanut; ryegrass; white clover
