A comparison of grazing management techniques with sheep on Ladino clover pastures.

Abstract

A comparison of grazing management techniques revealed that, in general, lamb performance under a continuous grazing system was superior to that measured under a rotational grazing system. Lamb performance was also superior at moderate to low levels of pasture dry matter availability using a variable stocking rate ("put and take") continuous grazing system compared to the fixed stocked continuous system. The analysis of lamb performance during periods of uniform dry matter availability revealed a decline in mass gain as the season progressed. There is evidence to suggest that the decline is partly attributable to quantity/quality changes in the pasture and partly to physiological changes in the lambs.

Keywords: availability; clover; continuous grazing; dry matter; grazing; grazing management; kokstad agricultural research station; ladino; lambs; mass; pasture; performance; rotational grazing; sheep; south africa; stocking rate; techniques