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The effect of extended grazing time and supplementary forage on the dry matter intake and foraging behaviour of cattle kept under traditional African grazing systems

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Abstract

An experiment was carried out at Alemaya University in Ethiopia to investigate the effect of night kraaling on the dry matter intake (DMI), live weight gain (LWG) and foraging behaviour of Ogaden cattle. Three groups of four animals were given either 7 h access to pasture per day, simulating traditional grazing (TG) practice; extended grazing (EG) access for 11 h per day; or traditional grazing access plus a nocturnal forage supplement (TF). Live weight gain, DMI and foraging behaviour were measured during the late dry season (EP1) and the wet season (EP2). None of the treatments had any significant effect on either DMI or LWG during EP1 or EP2. Extending pasture access time from 7 h to 11 h did not significantly increase the amount time spent grazing, but grazing intensity was significantly (p < 0.05) reduced during the non-common grazing hours. Step rate was significantly lower (p < 0.01) during EP2 than during EP1 and bites per step were significantly higher (p < 0.001) during EP2 than EP1, indicating that animals had to travel a shorter distance before selecting material to eat during the wet season (EP2). Providing supplementary forage (TF) had no significant effect on any measured parameter. In this study neither of the two low-cost methods (EG and TF) of improving access to forage had any beneficial effect on cattle productivity. It is concluded that, under the prevailing conditions, the traditional grazing practices of this part of Ethiopia do provide sufficient pasture access time to achieve daily voluntary food intake.

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Abbreviations

ADF:

acid detergent fibre

C em :

concentration of external marker

CP:

crude protein

D em :

dose rate of external marker

DM:

dry matter

DMD:

dry matter digestibility

DMI:

dry matter intake

EG:

xtended grazing

EP:

experimental period

FO:

faecal output

kg M0.75:

metabolic live weight

LWG:

live weight gain

NDF:

neutral detergent fibre

OM:

organic matter

SEM:

standard error of the mean

SED:

standard error of the difference

TF:

traditional grazing and nocturnal forage

TG:

traditional grazing

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

    D. G. Smith

  2. Animal Health and Welfare Division, Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, Easter Bush Veterinary Centre, Roslin, Scotland, UK

    D. Cuddeford

  3. Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Easter Bush, Roslin, Scotland, UK

    R. A. Pearson

Authors
  1. D. G. Smith
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  2. D. Cuddeford
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  3. R. A. Pearson
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Correspondence to D. G. Smith.

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Smith, D.G., Cuddeford, D. & Pearson, R.A. The effect of extended grazing time and supplementary forage on the dry matter intake and foraging behaviour of cattle kept under traditional African grazing systems. Trop Anim Health Prod 38, 75–84 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-006-4342-3

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