• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.17-20
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• 1998

Sixteen local sheep (8 male + 8 female) of about six months old with average live weight 10.78 $({\pm}1.11)$ kg were allocated into four treatments. The treatments (T) are : $T_0$ = Restricted grazing without concentrate; $T_1$, $T_2$ and $T_3$ = Grazing + 100, 200 and 300 g concentrate per sheep daily. Live weight of grazing (7.30 hrs daily) sheep was recorded in each week. The uncastrated male sheep were slaughtered for carcass and non-carcass parameters. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences were observed in live weight gain (g/day) among the treatments ($T_0=15.71$; $T_1=22.66$; $T_2 =32.66$ and $T_3=40.47$). The dressing % were : ($T_0=32.75$, $T_1=38.50$, $T_2=36.90 $ and $T_3=37.75$). The warm carcass weight represented 37.21% of live weight. Significant (p < 0.01) correlation were observed for live weight with carcass weight (r = 0.99) and dressing % (r = 0.88). Concentrate supplement increase live weight gain in sheep on grazing. Live weight is a good indicator to assess carcass characteristics.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제3권2호
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• pp.85-89
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• 1990

Sixteen Harnai lambs were used in a completely randomized design to study the nutritive value of fourwing saltbush as a winter maintenance browse in comparison to native range grazing with or without protein and energy supplementation at Tomagh Range Livestock Research Station, in Loralai District, Balochistan. The animals were divided into four groups of four lambs each. These four groups were assigned four treatments at random: fourwing saltbush grazing alone, range grazing plus lucerne hay (100 g/head/day), range grazing plus barley grain (100 g/head/day) and range grazing alone for ten weeks. The results indicate that the two range grazing plus supplementation treatments produced weight gains which were not significantly different from each other (p < 0.05). Both of these treatments yielded significantly higher weight gains (p < 0.05) than did range grazing alone except for the last week of the study. Fourwing saltbush grazing provided cumulative weight gains at 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 weeks which were not significantly different from the range grazing plus lucerne hay treatment and gained an average of 6 percent in body weight over the 10 week period of study. The carrying capacity for sheep of a mature stand of fourwing saltbush was approximately 20 Sheep-kg-days (SKD) of grazing per cubic meter of foliage. Results of this study suggest that under fourwing saltbush grazing alone, lambs do not only maintain their body weights but can also gain weight in winter.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제26권5호
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• pp.711-715
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• 2013

To investigate the effect of restricted grazing time on behavior of Tan sheep on desert steppe, forty 4-months old male Tan sheep with an original body weight (BW) of $15.62{\pm}0.33$ kg were randomly allocated to 4 grazing groups which corresponded to 4 different restricted grazing time treatments of 2 h/d (G2), 4 h/d (G4), 8 h/d (G8) and 12 h/d (G12) access to pasture. The restricted grazing times had a significant impact on intake time, resting time, ruminating time, bite rate and movement. As the grazing time decreased, the proportion of time spent on intake, bite rate and grazing velocity significantly (p<0.05) increased, but resting and ruminating time clearly (p<0.05) decreased. The grazing months mainly depicted effect on intake time and grazing velocity. In conclusion, by varying their foraging behavior, Tan sheep could improve grazing efficiency to adapt well to the time-limited grazing circumstance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.209-214
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• 1999

Grazing preference, voluntary dry matter intake, stocking rate and digestibility of forage were investigated or sheep grazed in mature oil palm plantations in Malaysia. Dry matter intake (DMI) was estimated using the chromium sesquioxide marker method. The sheep were allowed to graze about 5 hours/day in oil palm plantations of age ranging from 9 to 21 years old. The crude protein, crude fibre and ash contents of selected herbage were 13.1 %; 24.6 %; and 8.3 %, respectively, while the gross energy (GE) and the metabolisable energy (ME) were 16.9 and 6.0 MJ/kg DM, respectively. Broad leaf plants and grasses were normally found in plantation of all ages. Legumes and oil palm seedlings formed the smallest group in the whole mixture. Fern content increased in older plantations. Legumes, oil palm seedlings, fern, broad leaves and grasses were 0.4, 1.3, 11.4, 28.0 and 59.0 %, respectively of total herbage. Grasses showed the highest preference index followed by broad leaf plants, legumes, oil palm seedlings and ferns in that order. The DMI and the metabolisable energy intake (MEI) of sheep at 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 months of age were 64.8, 65.0, 65.3, 65.6 and 67.4 g/kg $W^{0.75}$ (p<0.05) and 0.39, 0.40, 0.40, 0.40 and 0.41 MJ/kg $W^{0.75}$, respectively. The average stocking rate was 4.3 sheep/ha. It was concluded that the performance of the sheep could be improved by increasing the daily grazing period and also by appropriate concentrate supplementation.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제36권9호
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• pp.1314-1326
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• 2023

Sheep and goats can efficiently convert low quality forage into high-quality meat which contains specific nutrients and quality traits. Carcass traits and quality attributes of sheep and goat meat depend upon several factors and one of most effective strategies amongst these is feeding regimens. In this review, the major aspects of feeding regimens affecting growth rate, carcass traits and quality attributes of sheep and goat meat are thoroughly discussed, with a particular focus on physical-chemical composition, flavor profile, and fatty acid (FA) profile. Grazing lambs and kids receiving concentrate or under stall-feeding systems had greater average daily gain and carcass yield compared with animals reared on pasture only. However, growth rate was higher in lambs/kids grazing on pastures of improved quality. Moreover, the meat of grazing lambs receiving concentrate had more intense flavor, intramuscular fat (IMF) content, and unhealthy FA composition, but comparable color, tenderness, juiciness, and protein content compared to that of lambs grazed on grass only. In contrast, meat of concentrate-fed lambs had more intense color, greater tenderness and juiciness, IMF and protein contents, and lower flavor linked to meat. Additionally, the meat of kids grazed on concentrate supplementation had higher color coordinates, tenderness, IMF content and unhealthy FA composition, whereas juiciness and flavor protein content were similar. In contrast, kids with concentrate supplementation had superior color coordinates, juiciness, IMF content and unhealthy FA composition, but lower tenderness and flavor intensity compared to pasture-grazed kids. Thus, indoor-finished or supplemented grazing sheep/goats had higher growth rate and carcass quality, higher IMF content and unhealthy FA composition compared to animals grazed on grass only. Finally, supplementation with concentrate increased flavor intensity in lamb meat, and improved color and tenderness in kid meat, whereas indoor-fed sheep/goats had improved color and juiciness as well as reduced flavor compared to pasture-grazed animals.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• 제3권3호
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• pp.139-148
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• 2022

Saxifraga hirculus is classified as a vulnerable plant species in Europe, and it is confined to base-rich flushes in the British uplands. However, a lack of available information about its conservation status hampers the development of adaptive strategies for its in-situ conservation, especially with respect to grazing. To assess the effectiveness of sheep grazing in maintaining viable populations of S. hirculus, we compared the community dynamics of the vegetation in a base-rich flush over 44 years in two plots: one sheep-grazed under business-as-usual sheep grazing densities and the other fenced to exclude grazing. The plots were established in 1972, and the abundances of all vascular plants, bryophytes, and litter were measured at six intervals until 2016. Our results showed that although the presence of S. hirculus was maintained in both plots over the 44 years, it declined and reached a minimum between 1995 and 2010, when it was close to extinction. Since 2013, Saxifraga has recovered only slightly. Interestingly, the S. hirculus response appeared to be independent of grazing treatment, but it mirrored wider changes in the vegetation composition and structure within the flush over the 44 years. These changes are similar to others reported in broader uplands that have been attributed to a combination of reduced nitrogen and sulfur deposition and global warming. Thus, the simple adaptive management approach of "just managing" sheep grazing appeared ineffectual for preserving the S. hirculus population. S. hirculus showed signs of recovery at the end of the study period within this base-rich flush.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제5권4호
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• pp.681-685
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• 1992

Experiment involved range vegetation classified into three major classes: Xerophytic trees, shrubs and grasses. Among them samples of major plant species were collected and analysed for chemical composition. The experimental animals 20 each of Thalli sheep and Teddy goats, located at Livestock Experiment Station Rakh Kharewala district Layyah (Pakistan) were randomly drawn from the main flock. The grazing pattern data were collected from one animal of each species. The observations regarding the grazing behaviour, breeding efficiency and carcass quality were also determined. It was found that overall preference index of Teddy goats were higher for Khabble (Cynodon dactylon) indicated by percent of the total number of bites made on different plant species, while the bites on Lumb (Aristida plumose), Mahabbat booti (Cenchrus biflorus), Dhaman (Cenchrus ciliaris) and Karera (Elionorus hirsutus) were found to be 1.28, 6.74, 0.32 and 3.87 percents. The browsing species as a whole were utilized more during the draught period. Among the grasses, sheep heavily utilized Khabble grass, with overall bite percentage of 89.27. Within browsing species Wan (Salvadora oleoides) and wind fallen dry leaves of Wan were considerably picked by the sheep showing 1.19 and 3.49 overall bite percentage respectively. The overall daily growth rates & dressing percentage for Teddy goats and Thalli sheep were 48.33, 39.00 and 51.00, 46.00 percent respectively. Moreover, among the experimental animals 50 percent goats exhibited signs of oestrus where as none of the sheep came into heat during the study period.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제33권1호
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• pp.44-52
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• 2020

Objective: Minerals are one of the important nutrients for supporting the growth of sheep grazing in the highland, northwest of China. The experiment was conducted to investigate the relationship of both macro and micro minerals in sheep grazing in the highlands of six districts located in the Qilian Mountain of China. Methods: Samples of herbage (n = 240) and soil (n = 240) were collected at random in a "W" shape across the area designated for harvesting from 24 farms, where the sheep commonly graze in October (winter) for mineral analyses. In addition, serum samples were taken via jugular vein from 20 sheep per farm from 24 farms (n = 480 samples in total) for serum minerals analyses. Mean values of macro and micro minerals were statistically compared among districts and the correlations among soil-plant-animal were statistically analyzed and correlations were regressed, as well. Results: The results revealed that there were variations for both macro and micro minerals among districts. Statistical analysis of the correlation coefficients between herbage and sheep were significantly different for most of the minerals but not for P, Cu, and Se. Many correlation regression coefficients were found significantly different among minerals of herbage, soil, and sheep serum especially those of K, Na, Fe, Mn, and Zn (between herbage and sheep serum), and Fe and Mn (between herbage and soil), Na, Fe, Mn, and Zn (between soil and sheep serum), respectively. The regression coefficient equations derived under this experiment for prediction of Ca (R² = 0.618), K (R² = 0.803), Mg (R² = 0.767), Na (R² = 0.670), Fe (R² = 0.865),Zn (R² = 0.950), Mn (R² = 0.936), and Se (R² = 0.630), resulted in significant R² values. Conclusion: It is inferred that the winter herbage minerals in all the districts were below the recommended levels for macro minerals which indicated there would be some mineral deficiencies in sheep grazing the herbage in these regions. Supplemental minerals may therefore play an important role in balancing the minerals available from the herbage in winter and would lead to increased productivity in sheep on the highland areas of China. These findings could be potentially applied to the other regions for improving the livestock productivity.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.22-30
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• 2020

Many areas of vegetation in the British uplands have reduced species diversity as a result of sheep overgrazing. It has been suggested that abandonment or re-wilding strategies might be used to reverse this. A likely first step would be the removal or reduction of grazing livestock from upland areas, with a presumption that this would lead to a recovery in species richness. However, we do not know if this would work, or the timescales involved. One of the important areas where more knowledge is needed is information on the size and composition of soil seedbanks as regeneration from zseed is a likely pathway of recovery. Here, we compared seedbanks in both grazed and ungrazed plots in five experiments at Moor House NNR in the northern Pennines; these sheep grazing exclusion experiments were started 52 and 63/64 years ago. Soil samples (n=10) were collected from both grazed and ungrazed plots in each experiment, and seed emergence counted in glasshouse trials. We detected only seeds of common species and very few dicotyledonous species. This suggests that the soil seedbank is unlikely to be a reliable source of the less common species for ecological restoration in these upland communities, suggesting an extinction debt. Therefore, seed addition and the creation of suitable safe-sites for germination may be needed in conjunction with grazing controls to allow the establishment of plants that will increase the species richness of the vegetation. However, this interventionist restoration approach remains to be tested.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제12권8호
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• pp.1192-1199
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• 1999

Two cultivars of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.), "Dinninup" and "Seaton Park" were sown at Shenton Park Field Station, Western Australia, in May 1992 and 1993. The characteristics of Dinninup related to animal production were compared with Seaton Park under grazing conditions with herbage utilization efficiencies of 60% in 1992 and 65% in 1993. The results showed that Dinninup and Seaton Park had similar dry matter digestibility (77-78%) and dry matter production (1,290 kg/ha in 1992; 930 kg/ha in 1993) before flowering initiation even though Dinninup had more (p<0.05) branches, leaves and petioles per plant. After flowering, the herbage on offer of Dinninup was higher (p<0.05) and dry matter digestibility was lower (p<0.05) than that of Seaton Park while the sward structure was similar for both cultivars. The variation in nutritive value among plant parts increased with maturation. Leaf was more digestible than stem and petiole with a higher nitrogen content, and stem had the lowest dry matter digesitibility and nitrogen content in late of the season. Sheep did not show any preference for Seaton Park over Dinninup. The predicted bodyweight gain of sheep grazing pure Seaton Park and Dinninup swards using Grazfed software indicated that sheep grazing Dinninup were predicted to have a similar bodyweight gain in early growing stage and a significantly lower gain after flowering compared with those grazing Seaton Park.