A Comparison of Four Methods Used to Determine the Diets of Large Herbivores

Abstract

Esophageal fistulation, stomach content analysis, fecal analysis, and forage utilization were compared as techniques for determining food habits of large herbivores. Each technique was evaluated based upon information collected using bi-fistulated (esophageal and rumen) sheep during 2 study phases. In the first study phase, microscope slide mounts were made of plant fragments collected from the esophagus, rumen, and feces of 10 confined sheep fed a hand-composited mixture of forage. Dietary composition as determined by each technique was compared to the original feed. Stomach content analysis and fecal analysis produced dietary estimates higher in grasses and lower in forbs than the known feed values. Esophageal fistulation results were not significantly different from the known feed values. In the second study phase, esophageal, rumen, and fecal collections were gathered from 16 sheep grazing a common plant community. Ocular estimates of forage utilization were made concurrently. All data were converted to percent composition on a dry weight basis for comparisons. Significant differences in percent diet composition among techniques occurred for 18 of the 31 plant species consumed. Diets determined by stomach content analysis and fecal analysis were significantly higher in grasses and lower in forbs than those determined by esophageal fistulation and ocular estimates of utilization.