| Autor: |
Sophie Prache, Karine Vazeille, Weaam Chaya, Bernard Sepchat, Priscilla Note, Guillaume Sallé, Patrick Veysset, Marc Benoît |
| Jazyk: |
angličtina |
| Rok vydání: |
2023 |
| Předmět: |
|
| Zdroj: |
Animal, Vol 17, Iss 4, Pp 100758- (2023) |
| Druh dokumentu: |
article |
| ISSN: |
1751-7311 |
| DOI: |
10.1016/j.animal.2023.100758 |
| Popis: |
Numerous advantages of combining cattle and sheep have been demonstrated at the grazing-season level, but the effects of this practice on system self-sufficiency require system-level and longer-term studies. We established three grassland-based organic systems as separate farmlets: one mixed system combining beef cattle and sheep (MIX) and two specialised systems, beef cattle (CAT) and sheep (SH), to serve as reference points. These farmlets were managed for 4 years, to assess the benefits of combining beef cattle and sheep in promoting the production of grass-fed meat and strengthening system self-sufficiency. The ratio of cattle to sheep livestock units in MIX was 60:40. The surface area and stocking rate were similar across all systems. Calving and lambing were adjusted to grass growth to optimise grazing. Calves were pasture-fed from 3 months old on average until weaning in October, fattened indoors with haylage and slaughtered at 12–15 months. Lambs were pasture-fed from 1 month old on average until slaughter; if lambs were not ready for slaughter when the ewes mated, they were stall-finished with concentrates. The decision to supplement adult females with concentrate was based on the achievement of a target body condition score (BCS) at key periods. The decision to treat animals with anthelmintics was based on mean faecal egg excretion remaining below a certain threshold. A higher proportion of lambs were pasture-finished in MIX vs SH (P |
| Databáze: |
Directory of Open Access Journals |
| Externí odkaz: |
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