Growth Performance of Barbados Blackbelly, Katahdin and St. Croix Hair Sheep Lambs Fed Pasture- or Hay-based Diets

Two experiments evaluated growth of mixed-sex Barbados Blackbelly, Katahdin, and St. Croix hair sheep lambs raised on pasture or hay-based diets with moderate levels of energy supplementation. In Experiment 1, 36 ewe and wether lambs were allocated to a pasture or pen feeding group in May. Pasture animals rotationally grazed tall fescue pasture, while pen animals were offered chopped alfalfa hay, and both groups were supplemented with corn/soybean meal at 0.75% of body weight. In Experiment 2, 72 lambs were allocated to pen and pasture in April, and provided either a low or high crude protein concentration corn/soybean meal supplement at 1.5% of body weight

POTENTIAL OF SORGHUM SILAGE AS A ROUGHAGE SOURCE IN SHEEP DIETS

Dry season conditions are a major constraint to ruminant production in the Caribbean region, limiting both pasture quantity and quality. Preservation of forage as silage under favorable growing conditions is one means of stockpiling forage for dry season use. This pilot study compared growth and intake by hair sheep lambs fed sorghum silage with those fed native pasture green chop (predominantly Panicum maximum and Leucaena leucocephala). The silage samples were pooled from a sorghum variety/alley cropping trial, which were ensiled either with (3%) or without the addition of molasses. Fifteen wether lambs were assigned to the 3 treatment groups (n=5) and group-fed daily a diet of either green chop (GC), silage (S) or silage with molasses (S+H) and coconut meal (CH) at 5 and 2% of body weight on an as fed basis for 24 d following a 4-d adjustment period on a composite diet. Refusal of feedstuffs was recorded daily. Average daily gain was 110, 52 and 84 g/d for GC, S and S+H diets, respectively, and differences approached significance (P~0.15). Roughage dry matter intake was similar between treatment groups (263 to 287 g/d), but supplement intake varied from 232 g/d (S) to 364 g/d (GC). Total dry matter intake was 651, 495 and 550 g/d for CC, S and S+H, respectively. Despite the increased CH intake by GC, the gain/feed ratio was higher (0.169) compared Ito S (0.105) and S+H (0.152). Plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) increased by 9.3, 5,9 and 6.6 mg/dl from d 1 to d29 of the study for animals on GC, S and S-t·H diets, respectively. These preliminary data indicate that lambs receiving sorghum ensiled with molasses, but not plain sorghum silage, approached the growth rate of lambs receiving green chopped pasture

YIELD OF BUFFELGRASS (Cenchrus ciliaris) CULTIVARS AT THREE CUTTING FREQUENCIES IN THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

The performance of six buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris) cultivars and one buffelgrass χ birdwood grass (C. setigerus) hybrid was evaluated under Virgin Islands conditions. The accumulative dry matter yield at three cutting frequencies (4,8 and 12 weeks) was determined over 10 months. Seeds were germinated in flats and transferred to styrofoam cups until a mature root system developed. Initially plots were irrigated and hand weeded to ensure establishment. Plot harvestwas initiated 7 months aftertransplanting. Cultivars differed (P<.05) in accumulative dry matter yield, Llano being the highest yielding cultivar followed by Nueces. The buffelgrass χ birdwood hybrid was the lowest yielding cultivar regardless of cutting frequency. Cutting frequency affected (P<.01) dry matter yield, with yields increasing with longer cutting intervals. There was no cultivar χ cutting frequency interaction. Dry matter percentage was highest for harvest at the 12 weeks cutting frequency, but fluctuated with monthly rainfall patterns. ----- Le rendement de sixcultivars debuffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris) etd'un hybride C. ciliaris X C. setigerus ont été évalués dans les conditions des Iles vierges. Sur une période d'environ 10 mois l'accumulation de la matière sèche produite a été mesurée à trois fréquences de coupe différentes : 4,8 et 12 semaines. Les graines ont été placées dans des germinateurs et ont été transférées à postériori dans des pots plastiques jusqu'à la maturité du système racinaire. Après repiquage, les parcelles ont été irriguées et désherbées pour assurer le bon établissement des plants. Les coupes ont débuté 7 mois après le ripiquage. La production de matière sèche présente des différences entre les cultivars (P<0.05), Llano étant le plus productif suivi de Nueces. L'hybride C. ciliaris X C. setigerus a les plus faibles rendements indépendament de la fréquence de coupe. La fréquence de coupe modifie (P<0.01) la production de matière sèche laquelle augmente avec la durée de l'intervalle entre coupes. Il n'y a pas eu d'interaction entre cultivar et fréquence de coupe. La teneur en matière sèche du fourrage a été plus élevée à la fréquence de 12 semaines, mais elle varie avec la distribution mensuelle des précipitations

Response of Hair Sheep Fed Silage Produced from Various Cropping Systems

The production of silage provides the opportunity to preserve roughage for subsequent use as a ruminant feed during times of inadequate pasture growth. This study evaluated growth, intake and feed efficiency in hair sheep lambs fed sorghum silage, grown in monoculture · or in association with legumes, as a roughage source. For the trial 12 mixed-sex lambs were assigned, stratified by gender, to diets based on sorghum silage grown in monoculture (SM) or in association with Leucaena leucocephala (LA) or Desmallthus virgatus (DA). Diets were replicated in two pens, with two animals per pen. Silage (7.5% of body weight as fed) was supplemented with coconut meal (0.5 % of body weight) and molasses (1.0% of body weight). Dry matter content of SM (27.7 %) was slightly lower than those of LA and DA (29.2%), but the pH was similar for all silage types (4.1). The pre-ensiling dry matter legume content was 13.3 % for LA and 12.0% for DA. Animals were on trial for a 24-day period, following a 4-day adjustment period when roughage pooled across silage types was fed. The average lamb age and body weight at the beginning of the trial were 122.5±2.3 days and 15.7±0.4kg. Average daily gain differed among diets (P<0.05), SM being lowest (43±5 g/day), DA highest (90±18g/day) and LA intennediate (66±5 g/day). Total intake was not significantly different among diets, ranging from 457±38 g dry matter/day for SM to 532±35 and 537±24 g dry matter/day or LA and DA. Roughage intake was also not significantly different between silage types and ranged from 384±13 g dry matter/ day for SM to 333±36 and 332±25 g dry matter/day for LA and DA. The gain to feed ratio was significantly (P<0.05) higher in animals on DA (0.167 ± 0.02) than on SM (0.094 ± 0.02), LA (0.125 ± 0.02) being intermediate. The results from this trial would indicate a more favorable animal response to diets based on silage derived from grass/legume associations

GROWTH AND LAMBING PERFORMANCE OF HAIR SHEEP GRAZING NATIVE PASTURES DURING THE DRY SEASON ON ST. CROIX, VIRGIN ISLANDS

The production potential of native pastures, grazed by V.I. White hair sheep, was examined during the dry season (Jan. to Aug. 1987; avg. monthly rainfall: 94mm). Animals were put on a rotational grazing system at a stocking rate of 5 ewes with lambs/ha, on pastures containing predominantly Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) and Leucaena leucocephala, as well as native legumes. Pastures were fertilized (21-0-0; 336kg/ha)in Dec. 1986. Crude protein was 8.1+1.5, 28.3+1.0, and 16.7+1.4%, and in vitro digestibility 53.2+3.0, 59.1±1.7 and 51.4+2.8% in P. maximum, L. leucocephala and the native legumes, respectively. Mature, pregnant ewes (n=40) increased in body weight from 35.6 + 0.9k.g at conception to 47.2±0.8k.g at parturition, producing 5.1+0.3kg of lamb, at a lambing rate of 1.60 lambs/ewe lambing. These ewes weaned 16.6+0.9kg of lamb at 9 weeks post partum, at a weaning rate of 1.43 lambs/ewe lambing. The data suggest that fertilized, native pastures, under a rotational grazing system with moderate stocking rates, are able to support high reproductive rates under dry season conditions

Growth and Carcass Characteristics in Goat Kids Fed Grass- and Alfalfa-Hay-Based Diets with Limited Concentrate Supplementation

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding legume hay (alfalfa; Medicago sativa L.) or mixed-grass hay on ADG and carcass characteristics of growing goats

Administration of copper oxide wire particles in a capsule or feed for gastrointestinal nematode control in goats

Widespread anthelmintic resistance in small ruminants has necessitated alternative means of gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) control. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of copper oxide wire particles (COWP) administered as a gelatin capsule or in a feed supplement to control GIN in goats. In four separate experiments, peri-parturient does (n = 36), yearling does (n = 25), weaned kids (n = 72), and yearling bucks (n = 16) were randomly assigned to remain untreated or administered 2 g COWP in a capsule (in Experiments 1, 2, and 3) or feed supplement (all experiments). Feces and blood were collected every 7 days between Days 0 and 21 (older goats) or Day 42 (kids) for fecal egg counts (FEC) and blood packed cell volume (PCV) analyses. A peri-parturient rise in FEC was evident in the untreated does, but not the COWP-treated does (COWP × date, P \u3c 0.02). In yearling does, FEC of the COWP-treated does tended to be lower than the untreated (COWP, P \u3c 0.02). FEC of COWP-treated kids were reduced compared with untreated kids (COWP × date, P \u3c 0.001). FEC of treated and untreated bucks were similar, but Haemonchus contortus was not the predominant nematode in these goats. However, total worms were reduced in COWP-fed bucks (P \u3c 0.03). In summary, it appeared that COWP in the feed was as effective as COWP in a gelatin capsule to reduce FEC in goats. COWP administration may have a limited effect where H. contortus is not the predominant nematode