39 research outputs found
Adjusting homestead feeding to requirements and nutrient intake of grazing goats on semi-arid, subtropical highland pastures
No full textIntensive livestock grazing can largely deplete the natural fodder resources in semi-arid, subtropical highlands and together with the low nutritional quality of the pasture vegetation limit the growth and production of grazing animals. To evaluate the contribution of homestead feeding of grazing goats to rangeland conservation and animal nutrition, two researcher-managed on-farm trials were conducted in a mountain oasis of Northern Oman. Goats' feed intake on pasture in response to four rations containing different levels of locally available green fodder and concentrate feeds was determined in six male goats each (35 +/- 10.2 kg body weight (BW)). Total feed intake was estimated using titanium dioxide as external fecal marker as well as the diet organic matter (OM) digestibility derived from fecal crude protein concentration. The nutritional quality of selected fodder plants on pasture was analyzed to determine the animals' nutrient and energy intake during grazing. The pasture vegetation accounted for 0.46 to 0.65 of the goats' total OM intake (87 to 107 g/kg(0.75) BW), underlining the importance of this fodder resource for the husbandry system. However, metabolizable energy (7.2 MJ/kg OM) and phosphorus concentrations (1.4 g/kg OM) in the consumed pasture plants were low. Homestead feeding of nutrient and energy-rich by-products of the national fishery and date palm cultivation to grazing goats increased their daily OM intake (R-2 = 0.36; P = 0.005) and covered their requirements for growth and production. While the OM intake on pasture was highest in animals fed a concentrate-based diet (P = 0.003), the daily intake of 21 g OM/kg(0.75) BW of cultivated green fodder reduced the animals' feed intake on pasture (R-2 = 0.44; P = 0.001). Adjusting homestead supplementation with locally available feedstuffs to the requirements of individual goats and to the nutritional quality of the pasture vegetation improves animal performance and eases the grazing pressure exerted on the natural vegetation. This management strategy therefore appears to be a valuable alternative to intensive livestock feeding in zero-grazing systems and may contribute to sustainable livestock production in ecologically fragile, semi-arid mountain regions
The role of pasture management for sustainable livestock production in semi-arid subtropical mountain regions
No full textGrazing livestock is an important asset to the livelihoods of people in most semi-arid environments, where natural resources cannot be used directly for human consumption However, overgrazing commonly reduces pasture productivity and therefore threaten people's long-term food security Ligneous and herbaceous vegetation on grazed and ungrazed sites in the Ha jar Mountains, Oman, was studied to evaluate the possibilities of improving pasture management to maintain fodder production Foliar biomass was 3-6 t dry matter ha(-1) on the grazed and ungrazed plateau areas and 41 t dry matter ha(-1) in the shallow valleys. Herbaceous yields changed over seasons and contributed <= 13% to accessible biomass, stressing the importance of ligneous foliage for livestock nutrition in particular during dry periods. While botanical composition and biomass of the vegetation differed between grazed and ungrazed sites, canopy cover and biomass yields were similar in a 15-year old enclosure and on a naturally ungrazed mountain plateau. Despite the climatic conditions, pastures encompass characteristics of equilibrium systems, where vegetation is strongly influenced by grazing livestock but recovers in its absence The sustainable use of the natural fodder resources through improved pasture management is therefore a valuable alternative to intense supplement feeding or the introduction of zero-grazing management (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserve
Effects of mild water restriction on nutrient digestion and protein metabolism in desert-adapted goats
No full texthttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004351 Sultan Qaboos Universityhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100012687 Universität Kasselhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaf
The importance of semi-arid natural mountain pastures for feed intake and recycling of nutrients by traditionally managed goats on the Arabian Peninsula
No full textGoat husbandry in Oman's Hajar Mountains supplies income and manure to farmers. An earlier analysis concluded that it uses purchased feeds inefficiently, but did not value the contribution of mountain pastures to goat nutrition and cropland fertilization. Therefore intake of pasture vegetation, cultivated forages and purchased feeds was determined in goats from three villages in spring and autumn 2005. Faecal excretion was quantified using TiO2 and diet digestibility was calculated from faecal nitrogen (N). Organic matter (OM) intake varied from 71 to 107 g kg(-0.75) d(-1). Pasture vegetation supplied 45-71% of OM intake, and at least 28%, 33% and 42% of phosphorus (P), metabolizable energy (ME) and N intake. While ME intake just covered maintenance and locomotion requirements, N and P intake exceeded the animals' requirements. Therefore faecal concentrations (g kg(-1) OM) of 26-36 g N and 4-8 g P were high, making goat dung a key element of sustainability for the local cropping systems. Since mountain pastures supply nutrients to goats and cropland, their long-term productivity is crucial. Feeding cultivated forages seemingly reduces intake on pasture, but a comprehensive evaluation of nutritional and economic implications of this strategy and possible alternatives is needed. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [BU1308
Severe below-maintenance feed intake increases methane yield from enteric fermentation in cattle
No full textDigesta passage and nutrient digestibility in Boran steers at low feed intake levels
No full textThe present study evaluated the effects of energetic undernutrition on liquid and solid digesta passage and on nutrient digestibility as well as their interdependencies. Using a 4 x 4 Latin square design, 12 growing Boran steers (183 ± 15.2 kg live weight) were allocated to four levels of metabolizable energy (ME) supply fixed at 100, 80, 60 and 40% of individual maintenance energy requirements (MER) during four experimental periods. Each period comprised three weeks of adaptation, two weeks of data collection and two weeks of recovery. Diets MER80, MER60 and MER40 only consisted of Rhodes grass hay (RGH), whereas diet MER100 contained (as fed) 83% RGH, 8% cotton seed meal and 9% sugarcane molasses. Feed intake differed between treatments (p < .001) and ranged from 40 ± 0.6 g dry matter (DM) per kg of metabolic weight (kg0.75) in MER40 to 81 ± 1.3 g DM in MER100. Digestibility of neutral and acid detergent fibre (NDF, ADF) was highest at MER80, whereas rumen retention time of liquid and solid digesta was longest at MER40. The correlation of rumen retention time of liquid and solid digesta with the digestibility of proximate diet components was weak but positive, whereas the correlation of liquid and solid rumen retention time with quantitative feed and nutrient intake was strong (p < .01) and negative. Our results suggest that tropical cattle are able to buffer a moderate energy deficit by prolonging rumen retention time of digesta and hence improve diet digestibility. Conversely, a severe energy deficit cannot be buffered by digestive adaptation mechanisms and will inevitably lead to productivity losses
Utjecaj pogače sjemenki bundeve i ekstrudiranog lana u obrocima na hematološko-biokemijske pokazatelje u krvi i na kvalitetu mlijeka alpske koze tijekom rane laktacije
No full textDue to the high content of crude protein and high concentration of unsaturated fatty acids, pumpkin seed cake (PSC) could be a good quality feedstuff for ruminants, while extruded linseed (ELS) has already shown some beneficial effect on fatty acids proportion of goat milk. Besides, lactation is the most demanding period when monitoring the metabolic condition of animal. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of PSC and ELS replacing soybean meal in diets of dairy goats on blood haemato-chemical parameters and milk quality. A 28 lactating French Alpine dairy goats were monitored within 20 days in early lactation. Diet of each groups had a balanced content of energy and crude protein, and a slight difference in lipid content. Goats in control group (n = 9) received soybean meal and extruded soybean. In experimental groups soybean was partially replaced with ELS (n = 10) or completely with PSC (n = 9). Dietary treatments had no effect on haemato-chemical parameters, although PSC increased concentration of globulins in serum. PSC lowered linoleic acid compared to control. ELS increased proportion of α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and total n-3 fatty acids in milk. Positive correlations were found between non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and ratio C18:1/C15:0, NEFA and ratio C17:0/C15:0, as well as β-hydroxybutyrate and ratio C17:0/C15:0. The replacement of soybean meal with PSC or partially with ELS is feasible with respect to haemato-chemical parameters of early lactating dairy goats, while ELS had much beneficial effect on fatty acids compared to PSC.Zbog visokog sadržaja sirovih bjelančevina i visoke koncentracije nezasićenih masnih kiselina, pogača sjemenki bundeve (PSC) potencijalno je kvalitetno krmivo za preživače, dok je ekstrudirani lan (ELS) u obrocima koza već pokazao blagotvoran utjecaj na kvalitetu kozjeg mlijeka. Laktacija je vrlo zahtjevno razdoblje za praćenje metaboličkog statusa životinja. Prema tome, cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je utvrditi utjecaj PSC i ELS na hematološko-biokemijske pokazatelje u krvi i na kvalitetu mlijeka, kao zamjena za soju u obrocima mliječnih koza. Istraživanje je provedeno s 28 koza pasmine francuska alpine koje su bile podijeljene u dvije pokusne skupine tijekom 20 dana u ranoj laktaciji. Obroci su bili izbalansirani u pogledu energije i sadržaja sirovih bjelančevina, uz neznatne razlike sadržaja lipida. Obroci kontrolne skupine (n = 9) sadržavali su sačmu i ekstrudiranu soju. U obrocima pokusnih skupina soja je djelomično zamijenjena s ELS (n = 10) ili u potpunosti zamijenjena s PSC (n = 9). Hematološko-biokemijski pokazatelji u krvi koza nisu rezultirali značajnijim promjenama pod utjecajem hranidbe, iako je obrok s PSC povećao koncentraciju globulina u serumu. PSC je rezultirao smanjenjem linolne kiseline (n-6) u odnosu na kontrolnu skupinu. ELS obroci povećali su koncentraciju α-linolenske, eikozapentaenske kiseline i koncentraciju ukupnih n-3 masnih kiselina u mlijeku. Utvrđene su pozitivne korelacije između ne-esterificiranih masnih kiselina (NEFA) i C18:1/C15:0, NEFA te C17:0/C15:0, kao i β-hidroksibutirata te C17:0/C15:0. Potpuna zamjena sačme i ekstrudirane soje s PSC ili djelomično s ELS opravdana je s obzirom na hematološko-biokemijske pokazatelje koza u ranoj laktaciji, dok je ELS imao blagotvoran utjecaj na masne kiseline u mlijeku u odnosu na PSC
Effects of tropical legume silages on intake, digestibility and performance in large and small ruminants: A review
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Effect of different dietary levels of Quebracho tannin extract on nitrogen and fiber digestibility and post-ruminal microbial protein flow in heifers
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