Distance traveled by free-ranging supplemented and nonsupplemented lactating and nonlactating cows. Rouda, R., Anderson, D. M., Murray, L. W., & Smith, J. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 1990.
Distance traveled by free-ranging supplemented and nonsupplemented lactating and nonlactating cows [pdf]Paper  abstract   bibtex   
Travel was estimated daily between 29 May and 18 August 1986 in protein supplemented and nonsupplemented, lactating and nonlactating mature crossbred cows. The study was conducted on semidesert rangeland in south-central New Mexico. Ambient air temperatures ranged between 7 and 38° C and precipitation was 49% above the long-term January through August mean of 147 mm. Four lactating and four nonlactating cows were fed an average of 1.4 kg/head/day of a 41% crude protein cottonseed supplement every 3.5 days. Ten similar cows, five lactating and five nonlactating, nonsupplemented cows were grazed with the supplemented animals in paddocks averaging \textgreater 2000 ha in size. Digital pedometers attached to both of the cow's front legs were used to monitor travel. The mean travel (+ SE) was 8.0 + 0.3 km/day over the 81-day study. Supplemented and nonsupplemented cows traveled similar (P \textgreater 0.05) distances of 7.9 + 0.7 km/day. Lactating cows traveled 7.6 + 0.7 km/day compared with 8.2 + 0.7 km/day for nonlactating cows. Throughout the study, daily travel decreased (P \textless 0.01) at a rate of 0.06 + \textless 0.01 km/day. Daily travel was positively correlated (P \textless 0.01) to total precipitation (r = 0.37) and hours of daylight (r = 0.36) but negatively correlated (P \textless 0.01) to mean mid-range (r = -.37), mean minimum (r = -0.35), and mean maximum (r = -0.32) daily ambient air temperatures.

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