Death comes to us all. Life's but a walking shadow | I don't post here very often but maybe someone knowledgeable about cattle behavior will comment. I've been hand feeding nine heifers in the bull paddock while they are being bred. I feed them (and the bull) in two ten foot grain feeders (homemade) placed end to end providing about 40 feet of bunk space ( 2x20) placing 2-3 five gallon pails of grain evenly across both feeders. The cattle come into the corral and arrange themselves both sides of the first feeder and consume most of the feed in the first bunk. They aren't crowded and don't push much. When they finish the feed in the first feeder they proceed to the second, again arranging themselves evenly around it.
The question is why do they finish one feeder then go to the next when they could just as easily distribute themselves around the two feeders and eat the same amount of grain? In fact if one eats faster that one should get more. I have seen other cattle vigorously defend bunk space and try to crowd each other out.
Where's Temple Grandin when you need her? |
Do cattle practice game theory?
