Preferences of sheep, when supplemented, for forages in a Mediterranean rangeland management system

Most rangelands in Jordan are degraded and contain almost no perennial vegetation. A study was conducted near Tal alRumman, Jordan to evaluate grazing behaviour of sheep under typical sheep management conditions where supplemental barley provides the majority of the intake by sheep. The objectives were to determine if sheep preferred herbaceous or woody vegetation and to evaluate a management system that utilises limited areas of ungrazed perennial vegetation in expanses of heavily-grazed and severely-degraded rangeland. Twenty-five Awassi ewes were placed in three 0.1-ha paddocks of ungrazed native rangeland for 2.5 h each day for 3 consecutive days and observed. The three paddocks were grazed for 9 days during each of four seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn. Sheep were herded to and from the experimental paddocks in the morning and were fed 0.5 kg of barley in the evening. Virtually all grazing occurred in the experimental paddocks because rangeland areas where sheep were housed were severely degraded and contained very little herbage (<40 kg DM ha–1). Herbage mass of herbaceous perennial vegetation in the study area averaged 165 kg DM ha–1 and potentially edible portions (leaves and twigs) of shrubs averaged 82 kg DM ha–1. Sheep spent more time (P < 0.05) grazing than browsing, chewing, standing or ruminating during all seasons. Sheep spent most of their time grazing during the first hour of grazing, and then the time spent grazing declined (P < 0.05) and time standing and ruminating tended to increase near the end of the 2.5-h grazing period. Under typical management in Jordan where sheep are supplemented with barley, sheep clearly preferred herbaceous vegetation over shrubs. To meet sheep preferences, rangeland restoration efforts in Jordan should focus on establishment of mixes of grasses, forbs and shrubs rather than planting only shrubs. This study suggests that allowing sheep access to perennial vegetation for 2–3 h per day can potentially extend the grazing period of limited areas of restored rangeland while providing sheep sufficient time to complete a grazing bout.

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Local forest and rangeland management system in the hills of Nepal

Banko Janakari ◽

10.3126/banko.v12i1.17232 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 54-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Giridhari S. Paudel ◽

Gopal B. Thapa

Keyword(s):

Management System ◽

Rangeland Management

Abstract available on the PDFBanko Janakari Vol.12(1) 2002: 54-61

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PSI-19 Preference grazing evaluation of new forage varieties, and the effect of animal temperament on grazing behaviour

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skaa278.495 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽

pp. 274-275

Author(s):

Cassidy R Sim ◽

Bill Biligetu ◽

Gabriel O Ribeiro ◽

Bart Lardner ◽

Diego Moya

Keyword(s):

Binary Mixtures ◽

Bos Taurus ◽

Cool Season ◽

Centre Of Excellence ◽

Grazing Period ◽

Forage Type ◽

Medicago Sativa L ◽

Alfalfa Varieties ◽

Meadow Bromegrass ◽

Grazing Behaviour

Abstract In Canada, new forage varieties need not undergo grazing trials before registration and sale. As such, little is known about forage performance under grazing, or how animal preference and temperament affect grazing behaviour. To determine these effects, 6 cool-season forage species including meadow bromegrass (Bromus bieberseinii), orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerate L.), sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifoila ssp. Viciifolia) and three alfalfa varieties (Medicago sativa L.) were established in monoculture and grass-legume binary mixtures (14 treatments) at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (Saskatchewan, Canada). Forages were seeded in randomized adjacent 0.3 ha (21 × 125 m) strips within each of three, 5 ha paddocks. Sixty-nine Bos taurus crossbred steers (396 ± 34 kg BW) were homogenously allocated to the 3 paddocks for grazing observations. Individual steer temperament was characterized via novel object and corridor tests prior to grazing. The 9 steers showing the most bold or shy temperaments were labelled for identification while grazing. The grazing period length was 19 d, from July 27 to August 15, 2019, with observations made during the first six days. Observers determined forage preference based upon the number of animals grazing each forage type every 30 min for 2 h in the morning and 2 h in the evening. Animal preference did not differ (P > 0.05) between the forage treatments. Yield of grass and legume components did not differ (P > 0.05) between monocultures or binary mixtures (1255 kg ha-1 ± 277 kg ha-1). Steer temperament affected (P < 0.0001) animal distribution, with bold steers traveling further from the center of the paddock than shy steers or average herd animals (P < 0.05). These preliminary results indicate that differences in grazing behaviour were due to individual animal temperament rather than forage preference or performance.

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Fertiliser nitrogen effects on hill pasture and on grazing by ewes

Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association ◽

10.33584/jnzg.2004.66.2550 ◽

2004 ◽

pp. 163-169

Author(s):

A.G. Gillingham ◽

M.H. Gray ◽

S. Macmillan

Keyword(s):

Chemical Composition ◽

Soluble Sugars ◽

Grazing Intensity ◽

Seasonally Dry ◽

The North ◽

Grazing Intensities ◽

Grazing Period ◽

Fertiliser Application ◽

North And South ◽

Grazing Behaviour

A study was conducted on seasonally dry hill pastures near Waipawa, central Hawkes Bay, over a two year period to investigate how the application of nitrogen (N) fertiliser changed the pasture chemical and species composition and if animals subsequently preferentially grazed that pasture. In Year 1 the short term effects of N fertiliser (30 kg N/ha) was evaluated on both north and south facing slopes after the pasture was spelled for about 12 to 25 days only after N fertiliser application. This period did not allow sufficient time for pasture dry matter (DM) responses to develop. In Year 2, using the same trial sites, the pasture was allowed to develop DM response differences of 500 kg/ha or more following N fertiliser application before animals commenced grazing. On each occasion, grazing observations were made during a 5 hour period following stock introduction to spelled pasture. Herbage mass per plot was measured prior to, and at the end of the grazing period, and the amounts of pasture utilised per plot calculated. In Year 1 there were three separate measurements and grazing observations. The first was in mid winter on pasture with a high dead matter and near zero clover content and overall low quality. N fertiliser had no effect on chemical composition. In the second and third observations in late July and September respectively, when more clover and less dead matter was present, N and crude protein (CP) concentrations were both enhanced by earlier N fertiliser application. Similarly in 2003 when herbage mass responses were allowed to accumulate following N fertiliser application, the pasture N, phosphorus, potassium and CP levels all increased and soluble sugars and starch levels decreased. These effects were more pronounced in the pasture from the south than from the north aspect. In Year 1 there were no differences between Nfertilised and non-fertilised plots in mean grazing intensity (ewes/100m2), or in the amounts of pasture DM utilised during grazing. In Year 2, grazing intensities and the amounts of pasture utilised, were higher where pasture mass was significantly higher as a result of N fertiliser application. The results suggested that where significantly greater pasture DM responses are allowed to occur, the subsequent grazing intensities will also be greater compared with grazing intensities on associatedpasture. It is likely that the differences in pasture chemical composition induced by application of N fertiliser at 30 kg /ha were insufficient to cause any difference in grazing behaviour by ewes. Higher N fertiliser rates may be required to induce such chemical changes and grazing preferences as observed in other studies. Keywords: grazing intensity, nitrogen fertiliser, pasture quality, pasture species

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Stocking rate effects on metabolizable energy intake and grazing behaviour of Tan sheep in steppe grassland on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859610000511 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 148 (6) ◽

pp. 709-721 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

X. J. CHEN ◽

F. J. HOU ◽

C. MATTHEW ◽

X. Z. HE

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Northwest China ◽

Metabolizable Energy ◽

Stocking Rate ◽

The Loess Plateau ◽

Height Range ◽

Grazing System ◽

Grazing Systems ◽

Grazing Period ◽

Grazing Behaviour

SUMMARYA simulated grazing system was set up in Huanxian County, Gansu province, on the Loess Plateau of Northwest China, involving the purchase of 18-month-old wether lambs in June of each year at c. 20 kg body weight (BW) and sale 6 months later at c. 35 kg BW. Three stocking rate (SR) treatments of 2·7, 5·3 and 8·7 wether lambs/ha were evaluated on geographically separated warm season (WS) and cold season (CS) paddocks c. 1 km apart; 3 years' data are reported (2004–2006). The metabolizable energy (ME) yield of the grazing system, calculated from the weight of animals fed and their weight gain, averaged 1·7, 3·3 and 4·7 GJ/ha/year for 2004, 2005 and 2006, respectively, in the WS and 0·9, 1·9, and 2·7 GJ/ha/year, respectively, in the CS for SR of 2·7, 5·3 and 8·7 animals/ha. Detailed grazing behaviour records were kept in order to elucidate intake dynamics. In these grazing systems, bite weight was typically c. 0·04 g/bite, lower than for temperate grazing systems at comparable herbage mass. A hypothesis for further study is proposed that this may relate to the distribution of a similar herbage mass over a greater sward height range in steppe vegetation than in temperate grass pasture. Sheep increased their bite rate (bites/min) and the number of steps/min at higher SR to compensate, such that intake/animal was reduced by not more than 10% with a threefold increase in SR. At higher SR, herbage ground cover on grazed plots was still lower than on ungrazed plots, 1 year after a 90-day summer grazing period or a 48-day winter grazing period. The significance of the findings for management of these systems is briefly discussed.

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