Effect of teeth condition on intake of grazing sheep

Abstract

Abstract The relative intake of grazing ewes was estimated from faecal organic matter output, using chromic oxide marker, or as organic matter intake using chromic oxide plus faecal nitrogen. The ewes were grouped as: good teeth (mean age 2.9 years); medium or sound teeth (mean age 4.6 years); and poor teeth (broken‐mouth or gummy ewes, mean age 8.2 years). They were grazed on a series of pastures — long grass of high feed availability to very short pasture of very low feed availability. The medium‐teeth ewes were able to consume the same amount of pasture as those with good teeth on long grass, but only 90% as much on short grass. The corresponding figures for the poor‐teeth ewes were 74% on long grass and 60% on short grass. Organic matter intakes indicated that on long grass the good‐ and medium‐teeth ewes ate 2–3 times maintenance and the poor‐teeth ewes 1½ times maintenance, but on the short grass the relative intakes were 0.7–1.2, 0.6–1.0, and 0.4–0.8 times maintenance respectively.