Influence of grazing regimes on cattle nutrition and performance and vegetation dynamics in Sahelian rangelands

In the West African Sahel, common herd management practices such as night grazing and corralling influence time available for grazing. When animals are used to deposit manure in the cropping fields, conflicts often arise between the need for animals to graze long enough for adequate feed intake, especially in the dry season, and the need to collect manure.Grazing trials were carried out in Sadoré (13 o14'N and 2 o16'E) and Toukounous (14 o30'N and 3 o17'E), Niger, to determine the effects of timing (day or day-and-night) and duration of grazing on cattle nutrition and performance, and to quantify the short-term effects of grazing by cattle on vegetation dynamics in Sahelian rangelands. In addition, a survey was conducted among livestock herders in two villages of Niger, Kodey and Toukounous, on their perceptions of night grazing with the aim of identifying constraints to the practice of night grazing and opportunities to apply relevant experimental results in the management of herds in the region.There were no differences in the quality of the diet selected during the day and at night, but the quality of the available and ingested forage declined as the season progressed from wet to dry. During the dry season, there was a trend for day-and-night grazing cattle to be more selective during the day, than animals that grazed only during the day. Animals that had additional grazing time in the night consistently had higher forage intake and consequently, higher average daily gain than those that grazed only during the day in all seasons.However, additional grazing at night reduced the amount of manure that could be collected for crop fields. When animals are supplemented, night grazing appears less relevant as the length of night grazing time did not significantly affect average daily gain in the critical late dry season. Annual herbage production of four paddocks used in Toukounous was 1893 kg DM ha -1. Of this amount, consumption by cattle accounted for 48% on a year-round basis. The quality of the diet selected by the animals was consistently higher than that of the herbage grazed in all seasons. These results indicate that grazing ruminants tend to make better use of Sahelian rangelands than often predicted on the basis of pasture evaluation alone.The response of herders interviewed on their perceptions of night grazing indicates that ethnic group and herd size are critical characteristics for the decision on the practice of night grazing. Herders' perceptions of night grazing with respect to animal production parameters such as weight development, water consumption, faecal output and feeding behaviour are consistent with available experimental results. Therefore, the herders' current knowledge and herd management strategies need to be considered in the development of any animal or ecological innovation.</p

Effects of ensiling cassava peels on some fermentation characteristics and growth performance of sheep on-farm

This study determined the effect of drying or ensiling cassava peels on some conservation characteristics and growth performance of sheep. Fresh peels were either sun-dried to a DM of 904 g/kg or ensiled for 45 days for determination of some chemical and microbial characteristics, and growth performance of sheep. 45 Djallonké sheep were randomly assigned to three supplementary dietary treatments (Control and dried or ensiled) and fed for 70 days. Ensiling reduced the pH from 5.65 in the fresh peel to 4.15 compared to 6.15 in the dried peel. Crude protein (CP) increased from 45±0.44 g/kg DM in the fresh peel to 46±0.48 and 52±0.88 g/kg DM in the dried and ensiled peel, respectively. Reduction in neutral detergent fibre concentration was greater by ensiling than by drying. However, a greater (P = 0.001) reduction in HCN concentration was achieved by drying than by ensiling. Moulds were greater (P = 0.011) in the ensiled than dry peels. Average daily weight gain was higher (P = 0.031) for sheep offered the ensiled than the dried or Control diet. In conclusion, sun-drying was more effective at reducing HCN concentration whereas ensiling improved the CP content of cassava peels and growth performance of sheep

Effect of nocturnal grazing and supplementation on diet selection, eating time, forage intake and weight changes of cattle

Sixty-four Azawak male calves were used to study the effect of nocturnal grazing (NG) and supplementation (S) in the dry season on forage and water intake, faecal output, eating time and weight changes of cattle in the Sahel. Treatments were factorial combinations of four levels of NG (0, 2, 4 and 6 h/day) and two levels of S (0 and 608 g dry matter (DM) per animal per day). All animals were allowed to graze 10 h during the day and were weighed every 2 weeks during the 70-day experimental period. Eight oesophageally fistulated steers were used in a cross-over design to sample the diet (forage) selected during the day and at night by supplemented and non-supplemented animals. Extrusa crude protein and in vitro organic matter digestibility were not influenced by supplementation (P > 0.05). Time spent eating during the day or at night were not affected by supplementation but total eating time increased by 39.4 (s.e. 2.1) min/h of NG. Forage intake increased with increase in NG, while total food intake (forage supplement) increased with supplementation (82.4 v. 92.1 (s.e. 2.4) g DM per kg M0.75 per day). The supplemented animals also drank more water than the non-supplemented (26.2 v. 24.8 l per animal per day). Average live-weight change (LWC) increased by 24.4 (s.e. 8.7) and 9.3 (s.e. 6.2) g/h of NG in non-supplemented and supplemented animals, respectively. Supplementation improved LWC (-107 v. 99 g/day, s.e. 14, P < 0.05). Night grazing improves dry season performance and its effect decreases when cattle are supplemented

Validity of feed evaluation systems under feed scarcity

Scarcity of feed resources is a common problem facing farming systems in the tropics and a major limiting factor to ruminant production. Feed evaluation is an important support to decide how these limited feed resources can be used most efficiently. Under feed scarcity, accurate estimates of the feeding value are essential to predict the potential level of animal production and to decide how to use available feedstuffs with maximum efficiency. A realistic representation of the role of ruminants in the tropical farming systems can only be achieved when accurate feed values and animal requirements are available. To obtainvreasonable estimates of metabolisable energy and metabolisable protein requirements ofvruminants in the tropics, AFRC equations probably have to be corrected for different component

Evaluation of causes and predictors of non-attendance at review appointments following treatment of Maxillofacial injuries

Background: Causes and rate of non attendance at review appointment in the outpatient clinics vary widely among various clinics and different&nbsp; regions all over the world. Solving the problem of non-attendance may therefore require different and individualized approaches tailored to the peculiarity of the clinic and the locality in focus. The aims of this study were to evaluate the causes and the predictors of nonattendance at review appointments following treatment for maxillofacial injuries at a sub Saharan tertiary health facility. Materials and Methods: A prospective, cohort descriptive hospital based study was carried out in a tertiary health facility in South Western Nigeria. Sixty three consecutive adult patients treated for maxillofacial injuries during the study period who met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The demographic and clinical data of these patients were prospectively collected and analysed. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 34 (range of 17-83) years with a male to female ratio of 5.3:1. Only 17(27.0%) of the patients attended all four clinic review appointments giving an overall default rate of 73.0%. One hundred percent and 30.8% of the patients with mandibular fractures and soft tissue injuries alone respectively attended the first review appointment. The non-attendance rate at the first outpatient review clinic appointment was 28.6% and this progressively increased to 41.3%, 61.9% and 71.4% at the second, third and fourth review clinic appointments respectively. Out of the 18 patients that missed the 1st review appointment, only 1(5.6%) subsequently attended any of the other appointments. Significant factors that are associated with non-attendance at the follow up review clinic appointments following maxillofacial injuries were age of the patients and types of maxillofacial injury. Commonest reasons cited by study participants for default were 'feeling okay', relocation and financial reasons. Conclusion: The most significant factors predicting non-attendance at review appointment following treatment for maxillofacial injuries are type of injuries and age of the patient while the most common reason cited by patient for non attendance was feeling okay. Motivating patients adequately&nbsp; before discharge by letting them know the advantages of attending and possible implications of not attending post-op review may be a way to improve attendance. Key words: Non-attendance, maxillofacial injuries, treatment, review appointmen

Assessment of lifetime performance of small ruminants under different feeding systems

Evaluation of lifetime productivity of individual animals in response to various interventions allows assessment of long-term investment opportunities for farmers. In order to gain a better understanding of promising feed interventions for improvement of small ruminant production in Southwestern Nigeria, a dynamic modelling approach was used to explore the effect of different feeding strategies on the lifetime productivity of West African Dwarf (WAD) goats. Modifications were made to the current version of Livestock Simulator developed for cattle production to simulate goat production systems particularly for WAD goats. Effects of changes in input parameters (quality of feed and potential adult weight) confirmed the sensitivity of the modelled weight development and reproductive performance. The values of simulated model outputs corresponded well with observed values for most of the variables, except for the pre-weaning mortality rate in the cut-and-carry system where a wide discrepancy between simulated (2.1%) and observed (23%) data was found. The scenario analysis showed that simulated goats in the free grazing system attained sexual maturity and kidded much later than those in the grazing with supplementation and the cut-and-carry systems. The simulated results suggested that goats require supplementation with protein and energy sources, in order to promote lifetime productivity, early sexual maturity and higher birth weight. In terms of economic returns based on feed cost alone, the moderately intense system produced the most profit. We therefore conclude that grazing with adequate supplementation using farm-generated feed resources offers an opportunity for improving smallholder goat production systems in West Africa

Selective grazing by cattle on spatially and seasonally heterogenous rangeland in Sahel

The selective use by cattle of range resources in the Sahel was assessed in terms of quantity and nutritional quality of the herbage grazed and diet selected. Peak standing crop was 1951 kg ha-1 dry matter (DM) with 47.9 kg nitrogen (N) ha-1 and 7.4 kg phosphorus (P) ha-1. Esophageally fistulated cattle diets were consistently (p < 0.05) higher in N, P and organic matter digestibility (OMD) than the herbage grazed. Cattle consumed 48% of the mean annual herbage production. The results indicate grazing ruminants select a higher quality diet from Sahelian rangelands than can be predicted on the basis of pasture evaluation alone. Therefore, the foraging behaviour of the animals needs to be considered in the evaluation of Sahelian rangelands for animal production

Day and night grazing by cattle in the Sahel

The influence of night grazing on feeding behavior, nutrition and performance of cattle was studied. Twenty-four steers weighing 367 kg (SD = 76) grazed either from 0900 to 1900 (day grazers), 2100 to 0700 (night grazers) or 0900 to 1900 and 2400 to 0400 (day-and-night grazers) during 13 weeks. Four esophageally fistulated steers were used in a cross-over design to sample the diet selected during the day and at night. No differences (P > 0.05) were observed in the diet selected in the day or at night. As the season progressed the fiber components of the diet increased (P < 0.01) significantly while nitrogen and in sacco dry matter disappearance declined (P < 0.01). Actual grazing time (min day-1, SE = 16) were 352, 376, and 476 for day, night, and day-and-night grazers, respectively. Day-and-night grazers had a higher intake of organic matter than either day or night grazers. Night grazers had the lowest forage intake and also the slowest rate of consumption. Steers that grazed in the night had the lowest water intake: 22.7 liter day-1 (SE = 1.5) in week 4; 19.9 liter day-1 (SE = 1.1) in week 8. Average weight changes (g day-1, SE = 62) were -435, -548 and -239 for day, night, and day-and-night grazers, respectively. These results show that during the dry season, grazing exclusively in the night cannot substitute for day time grazing, but that it is rather complementary to the latter. Timing (day or night) of grazing did not affect diet selection but nocturnal grazing decreased the need for water