ABSTRACT
Feed intake may be infl uenced by a range of physical and chemical properties of the forage, including height, density and architecture of the forage, spatial distribution, sward structure, fi ber content, resistance to degradation, digested particle size, energy density, protein content and the presence of toxins or unpalatable secondary compounds. Intake is also infl uenced by energy demand and therefore physiological state of the animal, as well as climate, disease and most important for livestock grazing halophytes, the availability and quality of the water supply (CSIRO 2007; Ulyatt 1973; Weston 2002). Voluntary feed intake is therefore infl uenced by many factors that also contribute to nutritive value, meaning that the two components of feeding value are interdependent (Masters, this volume).
