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Electronic Transponder Feeder System Performance and Animal Feeding Behavior with Four Feed Availability Times¹

University of Illinois, 1207 W. Gregory Drive, Urbana 61801

ABSTRACT

Animal feeding behavior and performance of an automatic electronic transponder system with two feed stalls for dispensing grain on an individual basis to cows were tested in an 8-wk trial. Forty-three cows were programmed to receive between 7.4 and 19.1 kg of grain per day based on daily milk yield. Treatments were feed availabilities 60, 50, 40, or 30 min on a timer-controlled system to simulate 463, 556, 695, or 926 min of programmed dispensing time per stall per day.

The 463 and 556 min rates (222 and 266 kg of grain) resulted in 98 and 96% of the programmed amounts of grain being fed. The 695 and 926 min rates resulted in substantial reductions in the percentage of programmed grain actually dispensed. Reduced available feeder time increased efficiency of stall use during the available feed time but decreased efficiency relative to total time. Feed dispensing was a larger percentage of stall occupancy, and more feed was dispensed per use as stall operation time decreased. Feed time was more closely correlated with occupancy time and number of entries during crowded stall use than during leisurely feeding. Cows used the feeder stalls readily at all hours of the day and night. Mean occupancy time per stall-use was 2.4 min during which feed was dispensed for 1.2 min. Most cows kept their transponders close to full charge, but wide variation among cows existed in the number of entries per day.

¹ Supported by the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station as part of NC-119, Improving Large Dairy Herd Management Practices.

² Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Kentucky, Lexington.

³ Department of Dairy Science.

⁴ USDA, ARS, NCR.

⁵ USDA, CSRS, Washington, DC.