Effects of dietary supplementation on ingestive behavior and consumption of grazing sheep: a systematic review.

Summary: Imagine you are at a buffet. If someone puts a plate of your favorite easy-to-eat snacks right in front of you, you probably won't walk around the buffet looking for salad. Sheep are very similar! A recent review of scientific studies looked at what happens when grazing sheep are given extra dietary supplements. The findings were clear: when sheep get high-energy supplements that are low in fiber, they stop grazing as much. Instead of roaming the pasture to eat grass, they eat the supplements and spend more time resting (being "idle") and less time chewing the cud (ruminating). This "substitution effect" means farmers can control how much pasture is used by adjusting the extra feed, making feeding strategies more efficient.