Group feeding versus individual feeding
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GROUP FEEDING VERSUS INDIVIDUAL FEEDING
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Feed records are desirable features of all feeding trials.
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It is essential for the interpretation of the results based on the feed consumed, leftover if any etc.
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In many feeding experiments to avoid labour and equipment cost, the animals are fed as a group,
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It is more common when there is wide variability in the individual behaviour of the animal within the lot, as to both production and feed consumption.
- The performance of the individual can be eliminated from consideration, but the food it ate cannot be exactly found out.
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It is here where individual feeding plays an important role.
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In certain species which are fed together in practice may consume somewhat less when fed individually. Thus certain workers stress this " Competition in the feedlot" as being of practical importance in feeding trials with beef cattle, sheep and hogs.
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Here several small groups will yield a more sensitive test than a few large ones.
Group feeding
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Advantages
Disadvantages
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Group feeding introduces complications in the interpretation of results if there is a wide variation in the individual behaviour within the group like in production, feed consumption etc.,
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In case of the death of an animal in a group, the feed consumed by the dead animal till death could not be accounted.
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In group feeding, when fed together, the animals consume somewhat less than when fed individually. This may be due to competition in the feedlot.
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Individual feeding
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Advantages
Disadvantages
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Last modified: Saturday, 31 March 2012, 4:56 AM