Changes in preferences of gestating heifers fed untreated or ammoniated straw in different flavors..pdf

Changes in preferences of gestating heifers fed untreated or ammoniated straw in different flavors S. B. Atwood*, F. D. Provenza*2, R. D. Wiedmeier?, and R. E. Banner* Departments of *Rangeland Resources and Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences, Utah State University, Logan ABSTRACT: We determined how a food’s flavor and digestibility, along with an animal’s recent experiences, influenced food preference and intake. In three experi- ments, pregnant heifers were fed a basal ration (7.75 kg/animal) of alfalfa, barley, corn silage, and a vitamin/ mineral supplement from 1500 to 2200. Exp. 1 deter- mined the influence of recent exposure to flavored straw. Animals were divided into two groups (n = 16/ group) and fed either untreated or ammoniated straw with digestibilities of 43 and 58%, respectively. Within each group, half of the heifers were fed maple-flavored straw and the other half were fed coconut-flavored straw from 1100 one day to 0900 the next day, with no base ration. We then offered straw in both flavors from 1000 to 1200 for the next 5 d. Animals fed maple-fla- vored straw for 1 d generally preferred coconut- over maple-flavored straw for the next 5 d, whereas animals previously fed coconut-flavored straw preferred maple- flavored straw (P 0.001). The change in preference was stronger when animals were fed untreated com- pared with ammoniated straw. Experiments 2 and 3 determined the influence of offering straw in different flavors, either in sequence (Exp. 2) or simultaneously Key Words: Flavor, Food Preferences, Palatability ?2001 American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. J. Anim. Sci. 2001. 79:3027–3033 Introduction Animals have evolved mechanisms for obtaining nu- trients and avoiding toxins. They discriminate among plants based on flavor (odor, taste, and texture), which is determined by the plant’s physical and chemical characteristics (Illius and Hodgson, 1996; Provenza, 1995). During food ingestion, flavor cues are integrated 1This