Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-gtxcr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T17:27:03.670Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Adjusting homestead feeding to requirements and nutrient intake of grazing goats on semi-arid, subtropical highland pastures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2010

U. Dickhoefer ,
O. Mahgoub  and
E. Schlecht
U. Dickhoefer*
Affiliation:
Animal Husbandry in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Kassel and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Steinstr. 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany
O. Mahgoub
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Science, Sultan Qaboos University, PO Box 36, Al-Khod, PC123, Muscat, Oman
E. Schlecht
Affiliation:
Animal Husbandry in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Kassel and Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Steinstr. 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany
Get access

Abstract

Intensive 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/kg0.75 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 (R2 = 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/kg0.75 BW of cultivated green fodder reduced the animals’ feed intake on pasture (R2 = 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.

Keywords

concentrate feedfecal markerorganic matter intakeroughagesupplementation
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , March 2011 , pp. 471 - 482
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abule, E, Smit, GN, Snyman, HA 2005. The influence of woody plants and livestock grazing on grass species composition, yield and soil nutrients in the Middle Awash valley of Ethiopia. Journal of Arid Environments 60, 343–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ben Salem, H, Smith, T 2008. Feeding strategies to increase small ruminant production in dry environments. Small Ruminant Research 77, 174–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Close, W, Menke, KH 1986. Selected topics in animal nutrition, a manual prepared for the 3rd Hohenheim course on animal nutrition in the tropics and semi-tropics, 2nd edition. University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany.Google Scholar
Dickhoefer, U 2009. Tradition and transformation—steps towards a sustainable goat husbandry in mountain oases of Oman. PhD thesis, University of Kassel, Germany.Google Scholar
Dickhoefer, U, Buerkert, A, Brinkmann, K, Schlecht, E 2010. The role of pasture management for sustainable livestock production in semi-arid subtropical mountain regions. Journal of Arid Environments 74, 962–972.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Early, RJ, Mahgoub, O, Lu, CD, Ritchie, A, Al-Halhali, AS, Annamalai, K 2001. Nutritional evaluation of solar dried sardines as a ruminant protein supplement. Small Ruminant Research 41, 39–49.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
El Hag, MG, El Khanjari, HH 1992. Dates and sardines as potential animal feed resources. World Animal Review 73, 15–23.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization 2008. FAOSTAT—Online statistical database. Food and Agriculture Organization Statistics Division. Retrieved September 29, 2008, from http://faostat.fao.org.Google Scholar
Fisher, M 1994. Another look at the variability of desert climates, using examples from Oman. Global Ecology and Biogeography Letters 4, 79–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
García, MA, Aguilera, JF, Molina Alcaide, E 1995. Voluntary intake and kinetics of degradation and passage of unsupplemented and supplemented pastures from semiarid lands in grazing goats and sheep. Livestock Production Science 44, 245–255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghazanfar, SA 1991. Vegetation structure and phytogeography of Jabal Shams, an arid mountain in Oman. Journal of Biogeography 18, 299–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glindemann, T, Wang, C, Tas, BM, Schiborra, A, Gierus, M, Taube, F, Susenbeth, A 2009. Impact of grazing intensity on herbage intake, composition, and digestibility and on live weight gain of sheep on the inner Mongolian steppe. Livestock Science 124, 142–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gordon, IJ 1995. Animal-based techniques for grazing ecology research. Small Ruminant Research 16, 203–214.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawas, JR, Schacht, WH, Shelton, JM, Olivares, E, Lu, CD 1999. Effects of grain supplementation on the intake and digestibility of range diets consumed by goats. Small Ruminant Research 34, 49–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kessler, JJ 1995. Mahjur areas: traditional rangeland reserves in the Dhamar Montane plains (Yemen Arab Republic). Journal of Arid Environments 29, 395–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lachica, M, Aguilera, JF 2005. Energy needs of the free-ranging goat. Small Ruminant Research 60, 111–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lachica, M, Prieto, C, Aguilera, JF 1997. The energy cost of walking on the level and on negative and positive slopes in the Granadina goat (Capra hircus). British Journal of Nutrition 77, 73–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawrence, P, Pearson, A 1999. Feeding standards for cattle used for work. Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.Google Scholar
Lippke, H 2002. Estimation of forage intake by ruminants on pasture. Crop Science 42, 869–872.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luedeling, E, Buerkert, A 2008. Effects of land use changes on the hydrological sustainability of mountain oases in northern Oman. Plant and Soil 304, 1–20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lukas, M, Suedekum, KH, Rave, G, Friedel, K, Susenbeth, A 2005. Relationship between fecal crude protein concentration and diet organic matter digestibility in cattle. Journal of Animal Science 83, 1332–1344.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mahgoub, O, Kadim, IT, Al-Saqry, NM, Al-Busaidi, RM 2005. Potential of Omani Jebel Akhdar goat for meat production under feedlot conditions. Small Ruminant Research 56, 223–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Molina Alcaide, A, García, MA, Aguilera, JF 1997. The voluntary intake and digestion by grazing goats and sheep of a low quality pasture from a semi-arid land. Livestock Production Science 52, 39–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Myers, WD, Ludden, PA, Nayigihugu, V, Hess, BW 2006. Excretion patterns of titanium dioxide and chromic oxide in duodenal digesta and feces of ewes. Small Ruminant Research 63, 135–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Naumann, K, Bassler, R, Seibold, R, Barth, K 2004. Die chemische Untersuchung von Futtermitteln. Methodenbuch Band III, Loseblattausgabe mit Ergänzungen 1983, 1988, 1993, 1997 and 2004. VDLUFA-Verlag Darmstadt, Germany.Google Scholar
NRC 1981. Nutrient requirements of goats: angora, dairy and meat goats in temperate and tropical countries. National Research Council. National Academy Press, Washington DC, USA.Google Scholar
Papachristou, TG, Dziba, LE, Provenza, FD 2005. Foraging ecology of goats and sheep on wooded rangelands. Small Ruminant Research 59, 141–156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ramírez, RG, González-Rodríguez, H, Ramírez-Ordũna, R, Cerrillo-Soto, MA, Juárez-Reyes, AS 2006. Seasonal trends of macro and micro minerals in 10 browse species that grow in northeastern Mexico. Animal Feed Science and Technology 128, 155–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schlecht, E, Dickhoefer, U, Predotova, M, Buerkert, A 2008. Grazing itineraries and feed intake of goats on communal pastures of the Jabal al Akhdar mountain range, Northern Oman. In Proceedings Multifunctional Grasslands in a Changing World, Vol. II. XXI International Grassland Congress, VIII International Rangeland Congress, Huhot, China, 77pp.Google Scholar
Schlecht, E, Dickhoefer, U, Gumpertsberger, E, Buerkert, A 2009. Grazing itineraries and forage selection of goats in the Jabal al Akhdar mountain range of northern Oman. Journal of Arid Environments 73, 355–363.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Titgemeyer, EC, Armendariz, CK, Bindel, DJ, Greenwood, RH, Loeest, CA 2001. Evaluation of titanium dioxide as a digestibility marker for cattle. Journal of Animal Science 79, 1059–1063.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Underwood, EJ, Suttle, N 2001. The mineral nutrition of livestock, 3rd edition. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, United Kingdom.Google Scholar
Van Soest, PJ, Roberston, JB, Lewis, BA 1991. Methods for dietary fibre NDF and non-starch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science 74, 3583–3597.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wang, CJ, Tas, BM, Glindemann, T, Mueller, K, Schiborra, A, Schoenbach, P, Gierus, M, Taube, F, Susenbeth, A 2009. Rotational and continuous grazing of sheep in the Inner Mongolian steppe of China. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 93, 245–252.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yayneshet, T, Eik, LO, Moe, SR 2009. Seasonal variations in the chemical composition and dry matter degradability of exclosure forages in the semi-arid region of northern Ethiopia. Animal Feed Science and Technology 148, 12–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zaibet, L, Dharmapala, PS, Boughanmi, H, Mahgoub, O, Al-Marshudi, A 2004. Social changes, economic performance and development: the case of goat production in Oman. Small Ruminant Research 54, 131–140.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zöfel, P 1992. Statistik in der Praxis. 3. Auflage. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart, Germany.Google Scholar