Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 7.23. Boer meat-type goat.
good management. In Bangladesh, the black Bengal goat will produce an average of
294 mL milk per day for 72 to 83 days under favorable management. When kept
under scavenging conditions, the same breed will produce only 121 mL per day for
98 to 105 days. 28
7.6.2 Feeding Requirements
Sheep are grazers, preferring grasses and a few broadleaf species. To maintain growth
and productivity, sheep need a continuous supply of nutritious forage supplemented
with high-protein feeds at certain phases of their growth cycle. In industrialized
countries ewes are kept on pasture until they are bred when supplements containing
soybean meal, cottonseed meal, or fish meal are added to their diet. After lambing
the protein level of their diet can be reduced to a maintenance level. Lambs for meat
and wool are the primary market products of sheep. Lambs are fed on high-quality
forage after weaning, frequently with additions of grain and protein supplements.
In developing countries, sheep are often kept on pasture year-round. After being
bred, they are fed on high-quality grasses and forage legumes to produce healthy
lambs. As soon as the lambs are weaned, the ewes are placed on a maintenance diet.
Because breeding is seasonal (in response to day length), lambing often occurs in the
spring when lush grasses and weeds are available. Weaning then occurs after the
flush of summer growth ends and lower quality vegetation is available for forage. In
parts of North Africa, sheep are traditionally fed dry barley straw during the summer
and fall months. This is also a dry season when little or no green forage is available.
The result is that ewes lose weight during this season.
Goats are browsers and have a reputation for eating anything they come across. In
fact, goats are very picky eaters. They prefer the tips of shrubs and young trees as well
as broad-leaved plants. These are the parts of plants that are most tender and have the
highest digestible protein contents. When kept in pastures, goats must be managed
Search WWH ::




Custom Search