Effect of Dietary Types on Feed Intakes, Growth Performance and Economic Benefit in Tibetan sheep and Yaks on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau during Cold Season

Abstract

Pastoralists on the Tibetan alpine rangeland suffered great economic loss in cold season, due to serious live-weight loss of domestic livestock under traditional grazing management. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary types (crude protein levels) on feed intakes, growth performance and economic returns of local Tibetan sheep and yaks during cold season. Twenty-four yearling Tibetan sheep (25.29±3.95 kg LW) and twenty two-year-old yaks (100.62±4.55 kg LW) with familiar body conditions were randomly assigned to four groups, fed oats hay (OH), oats silage (OS), total mixed ration (TMR) and traditionally grazed on the local cool-season pasture (TG), respectively, over a 135-day experiment. Daily dry matter intake was determined; all animals were weighed at the beginning and every 15 days of the 135-day experiment. Then, the total live-weight gain, average daily live-weight gain, gain rate, feed efficiency and net economic benefit were calculated. Results indicated that feed and nutrient intakes (DMI, DMI/kg LW, DMI/kg LW0.75 and CPI) of TMR, OH and OS were higher than TG (P < 0.05). Grazing animals suffered serious live-weight loss, while TMR, OS and OH significantly (P < 0.05) improved total live-weight gain and gain rate in both Tibetan sheep and yaks during the entire experiment. TMR worked better in animal performance and feed efficiency, obtained the highest breeding profit in both Tibetan sheep and yaks among four treatments (P < 0.05). When expressed on net economic benefit, TMR shared the highest net economic benefit in Tibetan sheep, OH shared the highest net economic benefit in yaks, but, no significant difference of net economic benefit in yaks fed TMR and OH diets was determined (P > 0.05). Results indicated that TMR was a reasonable diet in promoting feed intakes, animal performance, feed efficiency and economic returns in domestic livestock, which should be considered by local herdsmen to increase their breeding profit during cold season.

An evaluation of government‐recommended stocking systems for sustaining pastoral businesses and ecosystems of the Alpine Meadows of the Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau

“…Nighttime housing in enclosed sheds would raise weight gains and reduce deaths. Supplementary feeding during nighttime would further raise weight gains but the economic benefits need to be assessed against the cost of the feed (Xu et al., ; Yang et al., ). In a study by Yang et al.…”

“…Nighttime housing in enclosed sheds would raise weight gains and reduce deaths. Supplementary feeding during nighttime would further raise weight gains but the economic benefits need to be assessed against the cost of the feed (Xu et al, 2017;Yang et al, 2011). In a study by Yang et al (2011), cold season feeding options were modeled; stocking sheep on grassland without supplementary feed at night was found to be the most profitable option for the cold season.…”

Comprehensive Analysis of MicroRNA–Messenger RNA from White Yak Testis Reveals the Differentially Expressed Molecules Involved in Development and Reproduction

“…Tianzhu white yak ( Bos grunniens ) is one of the yak breeds, and it is a unique and rare domesticated animal in Tianzhu Tibetan autonomous county (Wuwei City, Gansu Province, China). The Tianzhu white yak population is no more than 100,000, comprising 0.7% of the yak global population [ 1 ], and this low breeding population is associated with poor production performance [ 2 ]. Yaks have been grazed for a long period without supplementary feeding [ 3 ], which has led to poor nutrition, delay of sexual maturation, and reproductive performance degradation [ 4 ].…”

Growth Measurments of Male Goat Kids Nourished on Unconventional Rice Straws Ensiled by Corn Steep Liquor and Conventional Rice Straws Ensiled by Urea

“…Azizi-Shotorkhoft et al (2016) noticed that variation in feed efficiency among the treatments of lambs was related to the parallel alterations occurred in both DMI and ADG as dietary rates of CSL diet. Besides, Xu et al (2017) confirmed that diet could be increased rumen microbial activity, maintaining normal fermentation, digestion, absorption and metabolic activities, which resulting in better growth performance and feed efficiency.…”

“…On the other hand, Abdelhamid et al (2017) showed that diet supplemented with CSL at 10% achieved economic efficiency up to 20.07 compared to 17.74 in control rabbit. Hence, diets with moderate CP could be shared a reasonable to NEB was expected (Xu et al, 2017).…”