Influence of grazing cattle and sheep together and separately on animal performance and forage quality

Abaye, A. O.; Allen, V. G.; Fontenot, J. P.

doi:10.2527/1994.7241013x

Cited by 51 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Thus, grazing by goats has been found to have positive effects on following sheep grazing, as the proportion of clover in the pasture increased (del Pozo et al 1998). Sheep may feed on dung pats of cattle and vice versa, decreasing the amount of nutrient and pasture space lost (Abaye et al 1994;Forbes and Hodgson 1985;Fraser et al 2007). Co-grazing may also lead to increased daily liveweight gains of both animal species involved (Nolan and Connolly 1989).…”

Section: Grazing Management and Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytodiversity of temperate permanent grasslands: ecosystem services for agriculture and livestock management for diversity conservation

et al. 2011

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Plant diversity has been reported to increase productivity. Farming practices aiming at conserving or increasing plant diversity are, however, usually less profitable than conventional ones. In this review, we aim to find reasons for this discrepancy, discuss ecosystem services of grassland phytodiversity that are useful for farmers, and ways of livestock management most beneficial for diversity. Under agricultural conditions, a clear effect of species richness on a site's primary or secondary production has not yet been demonstrated. Reasons could be that species numbers in permanent grassland are above the threshold of five species found effective in experimental plots or that the conditions are more in equilibrium with management than in weeded experimental plots. Other diversity effects on production stability, nutrient and water retention or product quality might convince farmers to increase diversity. However, these should be tested in agricultural situations, as most research has again been carried out in experimental plots. To enhance phytodiversity, grazing has been found superior over mowing, as selective grazing, treading and excreta deposition increase the heterogeneity of a sward and thus the niches available. Especially rotational grazing with intermediate intensity may be advantageous for phytodiversity. However, complex interactions between environmental conditions, sward composition, management and livestock behaviour make it difficult to forecast grazing effects. Thus, ecological and agricultural researchers should cooperate more, e.g. either in interdisciplinary projects or by hiring researchers from the respective other profession and thus diversifying research groups, in order to integrate agricultural management into biodiversity research and biodiversity measurements into agricultural research to 123Biodivers Conserv (2011) 20:3317-3339 DOI 10.1007 advance our understanding of how to make conservation and enhancement of grassland phytodiversity both feasible and sustainable.

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Section: Grazing Management and Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Phytodiversity of temperate permanent grasslands: ecosystem services for agriculture and livestock management for diversity conservation

et al. 2011

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“…Indeed, this relationship depends on how the biomass is used by the grazing animals. Thus, careful consideration of the type of biomass present, the amount available to the animals (expressed either per kg of MW or kg of BW) and the amount actually exploited for their performance, is essential to better anticipate animal production in the pasture (Abaye et al, 1994;Allen et al, 2011). In the present study, mixed grazing had no effect on any chemical composition of the grass.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…Mixed grazing could be an efficient strategy for goat production in the pasture, as their vulnerability to GIN and selective behaviour is superior to those of sheep (Goetsch et al, 2010;Rutter, 2010). Complementarity in the feeding behaviour of associated species is expected to lead to a better quality of available biomass and thus promote animal production (Abaye et al, 1994;Sehested et al, 2004). The behaviour of grazing cows is known to differ from that of goats, which are very selective (Fraser et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mixed grazing systems of goats with cattle in tropical conditions: an alternative to improving animal production in the pastureq

d'Alexis¹,

Périacarpin²,

Jackson

et al. 2014

Animal

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Mixed grazing systems combining sheep and cattle have shown better growth performance for one or both species. This observation has been attributed to their complementary feeding behaviour and the reduced host infection by gastrointestinal nematodes. Less attention has been paid to mixed grazing systems combining goats and cattle. Here, continuously grazing goats mixed with cattle (M) were compared with control goats reared alone (C) under tropical conditions. The comparison was conducted with gastrointestinal nematode-infected (I) and non-infected (nI) goats. Thus, the four treatments were cattle with gastrointestinal nematode-infected goats (MI), gastrointestinal nematode-infected goats alone (CI), cattle with non-infected goats (MnI) and non-infected goats (CnI). Average daily gain (ADG, g/day) and grass production were measured for the four groups of animals (six goats and two heifers treated with MI or MnI) grazing for 3 months on 4 subplots. Monthly measurements were performed over 5-day periods. This pattern was replicated in space for a second set of four subplots and in time for six successive cohorts of animals (bands 1 to 6). The ADG of goats in mixed grazing conditions was higher than controls irrespective of the infection status (32.6 v. 18.4 g/day for MI v. CI; 44.2 v. 33.5 g/day for MnI v. CnI). Concomitantly, the average biomass was lower for mixed grazing animals compared with controls (174 v. 170 for MI and MnI; 235 v. 208 for CI and CnI, respectively), suggesting better use of the sward. For daily BW gain (g/kg DM), mixed grazing also yielded better results than the control (1.88 v. 0.52 g BW/kg DM per day for MI v. CI; 2.08 v. 1.47 g BW/kg DM per day for MnI and CnI). Mixed grazing of goats and heifers offers a promising alternative for increasing goat and overall animal production as well as improving the management of pastures.Keywords: mixed grazing, BW, goat, agro-ecological management, tropical ImplicationsThis study conducted over 2 years showed a higher average daily gain of grazing goats pastured together with cattle compared with goats reared alone, considering either the individual gain or gain per hectare. This increased gain occurred irrespective of the infection status of the goats. Moreover, the biomass was lower in mixed grazing conditions, likely due to improved use of the pasture by goats that were mixed with cattle. These results suggest that integrated grazing could be employed as an alternative agroecological strategy to increase performance per hectare and control residual biomass. In addition, this strategy represents an important alternative to reduce the use of anthelmintics.

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“…Goats following cattle and goats mixed with cattle were heavier. Abaye et al (1994) reported that lamb daily gain (0.23 kg/d), total gain (23 kg) and weaning weights (43 kg) were greater (p<0.01) and target weaning weights were reached 14 d earlier in the grazing season when both goat and cattle grazed together than when lambs were in pastures with sheep alone (18 kg/d, 19 and 38 kg, respectively). The fact that body weights in goats grazing alone decreased initially is most likely due to the goats being stressed because of being introduced to new pastures and an acclimation period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parasitic Loads and Growth Performance of Goats and Kids under Sequential and Mixed Species Grazing with Cattle at a Constant Stocking Rate

Marshall¹,

Gebrelul²,

Manuel³

et al. 2015

American Journal of Animal and Veterinary Sciences

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Abstract:The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of sequential and mixed species grazing on parasitic loads and growth performance of goat kids. The study was conducted between June and October, 2013. Forty eight (48) "Spanish" kids and 28 Brangus calves were randomly divided into four treatment groups; goats grazing alone (GOA, control), Goats Followed by Cattle (GFC), Cattle Followed by Goats (CFG) and, cattle and goats mixed (MXD) grazing. Each pasture was sub-divided into 8 grazing paddocks to facilitate intensive grazing. Each of the 8-ha grazing pasture was sub-divided into two replications and eight paddocks. Animals were moved to a new paddock twice a week (3.5d rotation). The initial stocking rate was based approximately upon 0.8 ha per cow that would allow five cows per replication. Body Weights (BW), body condition score (1=thin, 5=fat, BCS), Famacha © scores (1=pink, healthy eye, 5=white, anemic) and fecal and blood samples were taken bi-weekly. Fecal and blood samples were analyzed in the lab for fecal egg count in eggs per gram (FEC) and Packed Cell Volume (PCV) percentages. Data was statistically analyzed using SAS's MIXED procedure and correlation coefficients were determined among the measurements. Differences (p<0.05) among treatment groups were observed where kids in GOA group were lighter in weight (13.2±0.0 Vs. 17.3±0.6 kg) and less conditioned (1.9±0.07 Vs. 2.3±0.07) than the CFG, GFC and MXD groups combined. No difference in Famacha © scores (2.3±0.07 Vs. 2.3±0.06) and PCV percentages (29.4±0.8 Vs 27.7±0.8) were observed between GFC and MXD groups. Male kids were about 1 kg heavier than female kids. BW was positively (p<0.05) correlated with BCS, HG, PCV and negatively with FEC. BCS was positively (p<0.05) correlated with HG, PCV and negatively with FEC. After the eighth week of the study, kids in GFC and MXD groups had lower Famacha © scores and higher PCV levels than kids in GOA and CFG groups. Overall, compared to kids grazing alone, mixed and sequential grazing kids had higher BCS, BW and PCV levels and lower Famacha © scores.

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Influence of grazing cattle and sheep together and separately on animal performance and forage quality

Cited by 51 publications

References 12 publications

Phytodiversity of temperate permanent grasslands: ecosystem services for agriculture and livestock management for diversity conservation

Phytodiversity of temperate permanent grasslands: ecosystem services for agriculture and livestock management for diversity conservation

Mixed grazing systems of goats with cattle in tropical conditions: an alternative to improving animal production in the pastureq

Parasitic Loads and Growth Performance of Goats and Kids under Sequential and Mixed Species Grazing with Cattle at a Constant Stocking Rate

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