Forage availability and its quality in the dry season on smallholder dairy farms in Tanzania

Factors Associated with Body Weight Attainment in Calves on Smallholder Dairy Farms in Tanzania

“…Indeed, low concentrations of Cu have been reported in both natural forage and in crop residues [28]. However protein deficiency is also common, as the forages are low in crude protein [28] and protein concentrate supplements are insufficient [29,30], and this also could be a relevant factor in our study. Therefore, dietary protein supplementation is recommended to address Hb deficiency and to promote calf growth.…”

“…Low plasma Fe concentrations could be due to low Fe absorption efficiency or due to the proportions of other minerals and compounds that interact with Fe in the diet, for example, low plasma Cu concentrations [26,27]. Indeed, low concentrations of Cu have been reported in both natural forage and in crop residues [28]. However protein deficiency is also common, as the forages are low in crude protein [28] and protein concentrate supplements are insufficient [29,30], and this also could be a relevant factor in our study.…”

“…Phosphorus deficiency in ruminants is probably due to low concentrations of this element in the forage. For most of the year, mature forages in tropics contain less than 0.15% phosphorus, which is lower than the required value [10,31], and in most areas of Tanzania, soil and plants are low in phosphorus [28,32,33]. However, other studies in Tanzania have found that the concentration of phosphorus in feed resources was adequate to meet cow requirements, although it decreased during the dry season [25,34].…”

“…However, other studies in Tanzania have found that the concentration of phosphorus in feed resources was adequate to meet cow requirements, although it decreased during the dry season [25,34]. Feed grains and seed byproducts, such as rice bran and the oilseed meals, are rich in phosphorus [25,28], and therefore farmers should be encouraged to supply their calves with adequate amounts of concentrate to avoid phosphorus deficiency.…”

“…The ammonia is absorbed from the rumen, and results in increased blood urea concentrations [12]. Lyimo et al [30] reported that calves in smallholder farms were fed natural forages alone, which are of low digestibility and has low dry matter content [28,35]. We anticipating that, our farmers behaved as did the farmers in the Lyimo [30] study who found that, the only supplement was maize bran, of which very little or none was provided to the calves because they were not regarded as important as lactating cows [30].…”