Availability Of Feed Resources Research Articles

Availability and use of feed resources in crop–animal systems in Asia

Abstract Feed resources and nutrition constitute the principal technical constraints to ruminant production in Asia. Four main categories of feed resources are potentially available for use in smallholder crop–animal systems. These are pastures (native and improved grasses, herbaceous legumes and multi-purpose trees), crop residues, agro-industrial by-products (AIBPs), and non-conventional feed resources (NCFRs). Priorities for the use of crop residues in terms of nutrient potential and animal species are indicated. Of the technologies developed to improve the nutritive value of crop residues, more attention has been given to chemical treatment of cereal straws than to supplementation. However, a failure to demonstrate cost-effectiveness has discouraged on-farm adoption. The production of fodder from food crop systems and the establishment of multi-purpose trees and shrubs are potentially important for insuring adequate feed supplies for ruminants and improving soil fertility, but there has been limited adoption on small farms to date. Equally, there is significant potential for the more effective use of locally-produced AIBPs and NCFRs, all of which are under-utilised currently.

Availability and use of dry season feed resources on smallholder dairy farms in central Kenya

A cross-sectional survey on 41 farms followed by six weeks monitoring of dairy cattle feeding on ten smallholder dairy farms in central Kenya was conducted to investigate the use, availability and quality of dry season feed resources. Fodder production was largely from Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) grown on small plots and contour strips where it acts both as a fodder source as well as a biological barrier to soil erosion. There is a need to broaden the choice of fodder crops on such farms to provide a wide range of harvesting management options and to avoid total loss in case of pest or disease outbreaks. Intercropping of Napier grass with leguminous fodder trees could boost the quantity and quality of herbage production especially during the dry season. Roughage from a variety of sources was utilised during the dry season in addition to Napier grass. Among the herbages, leguminous feeds had the lowest potential dry matter degradability while weeds harvested from cropland and roadsides had the highest. Energy and protein intake from the roughage fed to grade dairy cattle during the dry season may be insufficient to meet the requirements of these animals due to the high levels of fibre concentration (acid detergent fibre and neutral detergent fibre (ADF and NDF)) in them. It is recommended that the scope for alternative sources of improved roughage such as Napier/calliandra mixtures, to boost the energy, protein and overall dry matter provision on the farms should be investigated further.

Feed Resources for Sustainable Buminant Livestock Production in Southern Africa

The availability of feed resources for ruminant livestock production in Southern Africa, and how these can be strategically managed and improved for long term economically and environmentally sustainable ruminant animal production, is reviewed. Ruminant livestock production in Southern Africa can be broadly divided into (a) intensive and (b) extensive production systems. Classification of production systems is influenced by the land tenure system and by the level of livestock husbandry and management practices. Within systems, the level of livestock nutrition is a fundamental determinant of productivity. The level of animal nutrition is directly and indirectly influenced by socio-economic and managerial abilities of the farmer and more importantly by pedological, vegetational and environmental factors of the location. The stability and reliability of the livestock nutrition base, which predominantly is the natural pasture, has direct and indirect implications on animal production in Southern Africa.

Feed resource availability and utilization in smallholder pig farms in Sri Lanka

Feed resource availability and utilization in smallholder pig farms in Sri Lanka

Evaluation of goat body lipids change according to the level of feeding by the condition scoring method

In the Sahelian tropics, a high seasonality characterrzed the natural feed resources availability. There is forage abundance during the rainy season (3112 months) and scarcity in the dry season. Therefore, cyclic phases in body reserves change, with regard to animal nutritional status, cari be expected. Among numerous methods available for body composition estimation in field, body condition scoring is the more practical and the less onerous. It allows to define objective scores during production cycles and facilitates the establishment of feeding programs. At the present time, it was introduced in most of our research programs in livestock production systems. In a previous work, the scoring method was ca l ib ra ted in the Sahe l goa t (C isse et a/, 1992, In Proc Biennal Conf Small Rum Net, Arusha. Tanzania), a local dairy breed reared on extensive pasture. This study aimed at de termin ing in th is goat the month ly change in body weight (BW) and in BCS and to evaluate the effect of supplementation on these parameters.

A pragmatic approach to improving small ruminant diets in the Indonesian humid tropics.

Research conducted since 1980 on the nutrition and feeding of Kacang goats and Javanese Thintail sheep for meat production in Indonesia is reviewed. Feeding practices in three villages were monitored, along with animal production criteria, to better understand the limitations imposed by feed resource availability. Village and experiment station data showed that native or cultivated tropical grasses fed alone did not support growth of young goats and that lambs fed napier grass alone grew at no more than 20 to 25 g/d. Supplementing these grasses with tree legume foliage or wilted cassava leaves at modest levels improved ADG to about 50 g for lambs and 20 g for kids. Faster gains were obtained with higher intakes of tree legume foliage, or with combinations of higher-energy supplements such as rice bran, cassava meal and molasses. A response to mineral supplementation also was shown. Reproductive performance of North Sumatran ewes grazing a native pasture under rubber trees also was improved with supplementation. These experiments show that economically effective options exist for improving small ruminant diets in the humid tropics.