Saliva plays an important role in the fluidity and buffering capacity of the rumen contents, with the parotid saliva accounting for a high proportion of the total buffering saliva. Feeding behaviour is one of the main factors influencing the amount of saliva produced and this in turn varies with the structure of the diet (Duric et al. 1994) and animal species (Domingue et al 1991). The objective of this study was to measure parotid salivation along with the feeding behaviour (eating, resting, ruminating) in sheep and goats fed either chopped or pelleted alfalfa.