Gastrointestinal helminths challenge ruminants in ways that reduce their fitness. In turn, ruminants have evolved physiological and behavioral adaptations that counteract this challenge. Ruminants display anorexia and avoidance behaviors, which tend to reduce the incidence of parasitism. In addition, ruminants appear to learn to self-medicate against gastrointestinal parasites by increasing consumption of plant secondary compounds with antiparasitic actions. This selective feeding improves health and fitness. Here, we review the evidence for self-medication in ruminants, propose a hypothesis to explain self-medicative behaviors (based on post-ingestive consequences), and discuss mechanisms (e.g., enhanced neophilia, social transmission) that may underlie the ontogeny and spread of self-medicative behaviors in social groups. A better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie and trigger self-medication in parasitized animals will help scientists devise innovative and more sustainable management strategies for improving ruminant health and well-being.

Herbivores learn to select compounds that attenuate the aversive effects of plant secondary metabolites (PSM), but can they increase intake of PSM they typically avoid when these PSM provide medicinal effects? We hypothesized that herbivores learn to increase intake of PSM-containing feeds when experiencing a gastrointestinal parasitic infection. Ten lambs with natural gastrointestinal parasitic burdens (PB) and 10 nonparasitized lambs (NP) were offered a choice of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and alfalfa mixed with 10% quebracho tannin (Schinopsis quebracho-colorado; alfalfa:tannins) before and after they were conditioned with the postingestive effects of tannins. Preference for alfalfa:tannins did not differ between groups before experiencing the postingestive effects of tannins (P = 0.85) or when parasite loads were terminated due to the administration of ivermectin (P = 0.18). In contrast, when tested with a parasite burden, lambs in PB consumed more alfalfa:tannins (P = 0.08), showed greater preference for alfalfa:tannins (P = 0.07), and consumed less alfalfa than lambs in NP (P = 0.06). Ingestion of tannins by lambs in PB was followed by reduced fecal egg counts (FEC; P = 0.006), and there was a direct proportional relationship between preference for alfalfa:tannins and FEC (P = 0.07). In summary, parasitized lambs increased their intake of alfalfa:tannins when they experienced a parasite burden, which suggests they self-medicated with tannins against parasites. Self-selection of PSM has implications for the quest for alternatives to chemoprophylaxis in the treatment and well-being of parasitized wild and domestic animals grazing in pasturelands and in confinement.

Conventional models of foraging, such as optimal foraging theory, generally take the univariate approach to explain the decisions of consumers on the basis of the intrinsic properties of foods, including nutrient concentration and abundance. However, the food environment is inherently diverse and, as a consequence, foraging decisions are influenced by the interactions among multiple food components and the forager. Foraging behaviour is affected by the consumer’s past experiences with the biochemical context in which a food is ingested, including the kinds and amounts of nutrients and plant secondary compounds in a plant and its neighbours. In addition, past experiences with food have the potential to influence food preference and intake through a mechanism, namely, food hedonics, which is not entirely dependent on the classical homeostatic model of appetite control. Research on the impacts of experience with food context and its behavioural expression in natural settings should pioneer innovative management strategies aimed at modifying food intake and preference of herbivores to enhance their nutrition, health and welfare, as well as the health and integrity of the landscapes they inhabit.

The objective of this study was to determine whether feeding tannin-containing hays to heifers and mature beef cows influences enteric methane (CH4) emissions and nitrogen (N) excretion relative to feeding traditional legume and grass hays. Fifteen mature beef cows (Exp. 1) and 9 yearling heifers (Exp. 2) were each randomly assigned to treatment groups in an incomplete bock design with 2 periods and 6 types of hays with 3 hays fed each period (n = 5 cows and 3 heifers per treatment). Groups were fed tannin-containing [birdsfoot trefoil (BFT), sainfoin (SAN), small burnet (SML)], or non-tannin containing [alfalfa (ALF), cicer milkvetch (CMV), meadow bromegrass (MB)] hays. Each period consisted of 14 d of adjustment followed by 5 d of sample collection. Nine cows and 9 heifers were selected for the measurement of enteric CH4 emissions (sulfur hexafluoride tracer gas technique), and excretion of feces and urine, while dry matter intake (DMI) was measured for all animals. The concentration of condensed tannins in SAN and BFT was 2.5 ± 0.50% and 0.6 ± 0.09% of dry matter (DM), respectively, while SML contained hydrolyzable tannins (4.5 ± 0.55% of DM). Cows and heifers fed tannin-containing hays excreted less urinary urea N (g/d; P < 0.001) and showed lower concentrations of blood urea N (mg/dL; P < 0.001) than animals fed ALF or CMV, indicating that tannins led to a shift in route of N excretion from urine to feces. Additionally, cows fed either BFT or CMV showed the greatest percentage of retained N (P < 0.001). Enteric CH4 yield (g/kg of DMI) from heifers (P = 0.089) was greatest for MB, while daily CH4 production (g/d) from heifers (P = 0.054) was least for SML. However, digestibility of crude protein was reduced for cows (P < 0.001) and heifers (P < 0.001) consuming SML. The results suggest that tannin-containing hays have the potential to reduce urinary urea N excretion, increase N retention, and reduce enteric CH4 emissions from beef cattle. The non-bloating tannin-free legume CMV, may also reduce environmental impacts relative to ALF and MB hays by reducing N excretion in urine and increasing N retention.

This study determined whether early experiences of sheep with the same feed, but presented in multiple or single flavors, would influence intake, the profile of hormones involved in feed intake regulation, and the subsequent acceptability of novel feeds. Thirty-five 2-mo-old lambs were randomly assigned to 5 treatments (7 lambs/treatment). Lambs in 1 treatment (the diversity treatment) were simultaneously fed an unflavored plain ration of alfalfa (control) and barley (75:25; as-fed basis) and the same ration mixed (0.2%) with 1 of 3 flavors: 1) sweet, 2) umami, or 3) bitter. The other 4 treatments (monotonous diets) received only 1 of the 4 rations. All animals were fed their respective rations from 0800 to 1600 h for 60 d. On d 55, intake was recorded every 30 min for 8 h. On d 58, blood samples from lambs were collected at 1 h prefeeding and at 30, 60, 210, 300, and 540 min postfeeding. Preference tests were conducted by simultaneously offering novel feeds: 1) high-energy feed, 2) high-protein feed, 3) beet pulp mixed with phytochemicals, or 4) low-quality feed. Lambs in the diversity treatment consumed more feed than did lambs in the other treatments (P < 0.001). Lambs in the diversity treatment consumed equivalent amounts of plain and umami feeds, with a greater amount (P < 0.001) of the umami feed being consumed than the bitter and sweet feeds. Lambs in the diversity treatment tended to grow faster than did lambs in the other treatments (P = 0.06). On d 55, lambs in the diversity treatment showed decreased (P < 0.05) feed intake compared with lambs in the other treatments during the 2 peaks of food consumption (30 and 270 min from feeding) and showed a trend for the least plasma concentrations of ghrelin (P = 0.06). In contrast, lambs in the diversity treatment consumed more feed than did lambs exposed to monotonous flavors at 60, 90, 120, and 180 min from feeding (P < 0.05). Lambs in the diversity treatment also showed the least concentrations of cholecystokinin and glucagon-like peptide 1 (P < 0.001). There were trends for the greatest concentrations of leptin (P = 0.14) and IGF-1 (P = 0.16) in the diversity treatment, and for the least concentration of leptin in the bitter treatment (P = 0.14). Previous experience with flavored feeds affected the preference of lambs for high-energy and low-quality feeds, and for beet pulp mixed with phytochemicals (treatment × feed × day effect; P < 0.05). Thus, exposure to diverse flavors has the potential to increase feed intake and induce a more even consumption of feed across time by reducing peaks and nadirs of intake compared with exposure to monotonous rations. Flavor diversity may also influence the initial acceptability of and preference for novel feeds. Copyright © 2011. American Society of Animal Science .

The two temperate forage legumes containing condensed tannins (CT) that promote ruminant production are birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.; BFT) and sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia Scop.; SF). Both are well-adapted to the cool-temperate climate and alkaline soils of the Mountain West USA. Condensed tannins comprise a diverse family of bioactive chemicals with multiple beneficial functions for ruminants, including suppression of internal parasites and enteric methane. Birdsfoot trefoil contains 10 to 40 g·CT·kg⁻¹ dry matter (DM), while SF contains 30 to 80 g·CT·kg⁻¹ DM. Our studies have focused on these two plant species and have demonstrated consistently elevated rates of gain for beef calves grazing both BFT and SF. Novel results from our BFT research include carcass dressing percentages and consumer sensory evaluations equivalent to feedlot-finished steers and significantly greater than grass-finished steers, but with omega-3 fatty acid concentrations equal to grass-finished beef. We have further demonstrated that ruminants fed BFT or SF will consume more endophyte-infected tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus (Schreb.) Dumort.) forage or seed than ruminants fed a non-CT forage legume. There is great potential value for sustainable livestock production in the use of highly digestible, nitrogen-fixing legumes containing tannins demonstrated to improve ruminant productivity.