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Effect of sward surface height of mixed swards of ryegrass/white clover on the intake and performance by ewes and their twin lambs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2017

R.J. Orr ,
P.D. Penning ,
A.J. Parsons  and
T.T. Treacher
R.J. Orr
Affiliation:
Animal and Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks. SL6 5LR
P.D. Penning
Affiliation:
Animal and Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks. SL6 5LR
A.J. Parsons
Affiliation:
Animal and Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks. SL6 5LR
T.T. Treacher
Affiliation:
Animal and Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berks. SL6 5LR
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Extract

Mixed swards of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne cv. S23) and white clover (Trifolium repens cv. Huia) were maintained at sward surface heights (SSH) of 3 (GC3), 6 (GC6) and 9 cm (GC9) by continuous variable stocking to examine effects on sward and animal performance. In addition, a pure grass sward of S23 was kept at 6 cm (G6) and fertilized with 14 applications of 30 kg N per ha at fortnightly intervals, beginning on 25 March. The swards were sown in August 1983, cut twice in 1984, in May and June, and then grazed thereafter. Fertilizer was applied to the seedbed at 40 kg N per ha, 20 kg P205 per ha and 20 kg K20 per ha. In March 1984 and 1985, 20 kg per ha each of P205 and K2O were applied to all plots.

Dry sheep grazed the paddocks (0.69 ha) to the required SSH's with grazing starting on 4 April, 9 April, 12 April and 24 April for treatments GC3, G6, GC6 and GC9, respectively. On 24 April, two days after lambing, core groups of 8 Scottish Halfbred ewes with twin lambs were put on the plots. Additional ewes, kept on swards similar to the treatment areas, were used to adjust the stocking rate to maintain the SSH's. These were measured three times each week with 200 readings per plot.

Type
Sheep Production
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) , Volume 1987 , March 1987 , pp. 37
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1987

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References

P.D., Penning (1983) A technique to record automatically some aspects of grazing and ruminating behaviour in sheep. Grass and Forage Science, 38: 89–96.Google Scholar
P.D., Penning and G.E., Hooper (1985) An evaluation of the use of short-term weight changes in grazing sheep for estimating herbage intake. Grass and Forage Science, 40: 79–84.Google Scholar