Quick and High-Quality Sheep Raising New Technology

Authors: Ma Xingyue, Xu Kunlong, Xiao Rong, Meng Chunhui
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Features: In the construction of artificial grasslands, drinking facilities for livestock and the development of grazing paths should also be considered. 2. Establishing forage plots for green forage crops such as corn, vetch, and turnips to be used during periods of scarce winter and spring green forage can ensure a sustainable production cycle, facilitate grassland management, alleviate pressure during grassland crisis periods (late winter and early spring), and extend the grassland's service life. 3. The utilization and management of artificial grasslands should establish a contract responsibility system, closely linking sheep flocks and grasslands, achieving grass-livestock coordination. Control grazing intensity, reduce grazing during grassland crisis periods, and increase supplementary feeding to maintain the grassland's sustainability and stability. Establish grassland management measures and implement them, including fertilization, reseeding, removal of harmful plants, gradual renewal ratios, fence maintenance, and expanding the area for planting green and succulent forage crops to increase their yield. (1) Grasslands Grasslands are the basic production resources for developing animal husbandry, the foundation on which livestock depend for survival, and the source of all wealth in pastures. In the minds of pasture operators, grasslands hold a more important position than livestock. To obtain the maximum benefits from artificial grasslands, the key lies in their management and utilization. Grasslands are difficult to evaluate with fixed standards, but at least they can meet the following requirements: ① They can support as many livestock as possible. ② They can suppress the growth of weeds. ③ They can conserve soil and water, preventing erosion and loss. Therefore, the highest economic benefits can be obtained from such grazing land. (2) Grazing Management ① Adopting a rotational grazing system with fences can maximize the utilization of forage while protecting the grassland. There is no uniform standard to determine how many days a grazing paddock can be used or how often it should be rotated, but it should be based on the paddock's area and the grass growth. However, one principle should be followed: grass height should not exceed 15 cm or fall below 5 cm. ② Determine livestock carrying capacity based on forage availability. The determination of the appropriate carrying capacity for grasslands should be based on long-term enclosure grazing experiments and community stability assessments. Alternatively, forage yield can be measured annually on artificial grasslands using the grass basket method, and carrying capacity standards can be set based on the dry matter yield of forage. For example, to raise one sheep (50 kg body weight), a grassland area producing 500 kg of usable dry matter annually is required. Alternatively, the U.S. National Research Council (NRC) standards can be referenced to determine carrying capacity, such as a non-lactating sheep weighing 50 kg requiring a total digestible nutrient (TDN) of 0.55 kg per day or a digestible protein (CP) of 0.0539 kg. Additionally, since the digestibility of forage on pastures in summer and autumn differs from that in winter, carrying capacity should be calculated separately. According to Ren Jizhou's research, the digestible rate of crude protein for sheep in summer and autumn is 77.49%, crude fat is 51.85%, crude fiber is 71.75%, and nitrogen-free extract is approximately 47.29%. According to Zhu Xingyun's experiments, the digestible rate of crude protein for sheep in winter and spring is 42.02%, crude fat is 37.54%, crude fiber is 74.98%, and nitrogen-free extract is 36.94%. ③ Late autumn and early spring are crisis periods for grasslands, and grazing should be strictly controlled. To mitigate this, some winter and spring-growing green forage crops should be planted to reduce the pressure on grazing grasslands. (3) Removal of Toxic and Harmful Plants