The effect of integrated grazing of goats, sheep and cattle on
animal productivity and health on high-producing hill country pastures
M.D. Bown, D.G. McCall, M.L. Scott, T.G. Watson and B.W. Dow
MAFTech, Whatawhata Research Centre, Hamilton and MAFTech,
Ruakura Agricultural Centre, Hamilton
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.
1989, 49: 165-170
An experiment ran from mid-October to mid-January to develop
pasture height/quality guidelines for optimum doe and kid growth in
spring and to test the advantages of integrating goats with other stock
classes at this time. Three goat-only farmlets comprised two paddocks
with does and kids alternating, 7 days in each. Pre-grazing pasture
mass was maintained at 1.6, 2.0 and 2.5 t DM/ha respectively. In three
integrated-species farmlets, does with kids grazed from a pre-graze
pasture mass of 2.5 t DM/ha for 7 days, followed by the sheep/cattle mob
for 7 day. Paddocks were spelled for three weeks before goats were
reintroduced. Sheep/cattle mobs comprised, hoggets, yearling steer, or
60%/40% combination of the two (respectively). In goat-only farmlets,
does lost live weight and kid liveweight gain was reduced when pre-graze
pasture mass was below 2.5 t DM/ha. Doe liveweight gain was maximised
in the goat/sheep/cattle farmlet. Kid liveweight gain was compromised
only on the lowest pasture mass, gain on other farmlets being similar.
Sheep and cattle liveweight gains appeared to be unaffected by grazing
behind goats when grazing down to 1.5 - 1.6 t DM/ha. Parasite faecal
egg concentration (FEC) of does was increased by grazing at low pasture
masses with 80% and 63% of does being drenched at 1.6 and 2.0 t DM/ha
respectively compared to 53% at 2.5 t DM/ha. Integration with cattle
and sheep/cattle reduced FEC (27% and 17% does drenched respectively)
compared with goats only or goats followed by sheep (53% and 43%
respectively). In all farmlets without sheep grazing, weed occurrence
on transect analysis was over 35%. The presence of sheep reduced this
to approx. 23% and in the goat/sheep/cattle system weed occurrence was
approx. 10%. Clover occurrence was similar in all farmlets (approx. 50%)
except for the goat/sheep farmlet (approx. 30%).
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
Integrated grazing; goat; sheep; cattle; pasture mass; weeds;
pasture quality; internal parasites; drenching
Download abstract in text format
Last Updated 18-03-1997
