Raising lambs on natural and cultivated pastures in the conditions of Lapland

Abstract

The growth of lambs on natural and cultiavated pastures was studied in 1979—1980 in northern Lapland at 69°40’ N and 27° 05’ E. The natural pasture was a peninsula covered by various wild grasses, bearing willow and birth and with sedge and horsetail by the shore. On the cultivated pasture timothy predominated. The experiments started in mid June, when the age of the lambs averaged three months, and lasted to mid September. During that time, the animals received no supplemental feeds. The grazing density on the natural pasture was 1.5—3.2 lambs/ha and on the cultivated pasture 15—20 lambs/ha. The lambs on the natural pasture grew significantly slower (P < 0.05) than those on the cultivated pasture. The difference in live-weight gain was especially marked in June and from the beginning of August. In lambs moved from the natural pasture to the cultivated pasture in mid August the growth rate was somewhat better than in lambs kept on the natural pasture throughout, but growth diminished in all the lambs in September. The slaughter criteria were also better for the lambs on the cultivated pasture than for the others.