补饲非蛋白氮补充料对放牧牛群生产性能的影响

本试验旨在研究补饲非蛋白氮（NPN）补充料对放牧牛群生产性能的影响。试验在春末夏初放牧前,选择30头9~10月龄、体重150~170 kg的中国西门塔尔太行类群小公牛,分为对照组、试验1组和试验2组,进行放牧加补饲试验。试验1组日补饲玉米粉1.0 kg;试验2组在试验1组的基础上增补NPN补充料0.25 kg。进行了为期100 d的放牧补饲效果试验。结果表明,对照组、试验1组、试验2组日增重分别为0.622、0.839和1.051 kg。试验1组比对照组日增重提高217 g;试验2组比对照组和试验1组日增重分别提高429和212 g。3组间增重差异显著。因此,北方山坡草地放牧牛群补饲少量精料效果明显,同时,补喂少量NPN补充料经济效益更为显著。     

Evaluation of Low-Moisture Blocks and Conventional Dry Mixes for Supplementing Minerals and Modifying Cattle Grazing Patterns

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of low-moisture blocks (LMB) and conventional dry mixes (CDM) for supplementing minerals to cattle on rangeland and to modify grazing patterns. In study 1, cows were fed LMB or CDM on moderate or difficult foothill terrain in Montana during autumn and winter. Cows consumed more CDM in moderate terrain than difficult terrain, but intake of LMB was similar in both terrain types. Using global positioning system (GPS) telemetry data, visits to supplements were defined as collared cow positions within 10 m of placement sites. More cows visited LMB (74%) than CDM (56%). More cows visited supplements (LMB and CDM pooled) when placed in moderate rather than difficult terrain. Cows spent more nonresting time within 100 and 200 m of LMB than CDM. In study 2, CDM and LMB designed to supplement minerals (LMB-M) were compared when cows were also fed LMB designed to supplement protein (LMB-P). Comparisons were made with cows grazing rangeland and with cows fed hay. Intake of LMB-P and CDM was less when cows grazed rangeland than when they were fed hay. Cows consumed less LMB-P when LMB-M was available. More cows visited LMB-M than CDM, and cows visited LMB-M more frequently than CDM. The LMB formulations designed to supplement minerals work well with formulations designed to supplement protein. Both LMB and CDM met estimated deficits of minerals in the forage based on supplement intake (g·day^-1) and forage evaluations, but cows visited LMB more consistently than CDM. Low-moisture blocks appear to be more attractive to cows than CDM and should be more useful to modify grazing patterns on rangeland.     

Cattle Grazing Toxic Delphinium andersonii in South-Central Idaho

Anderson larkspur (Delphinium andersonii A. Gray) is a toxic plant responsible for cattle death losses in the western United States. The objectives of the present study were to determine when cattle consumed Anderson larkspur in relation to plant phenology and toxicity, and to determine if animal age influenced selection of Anderson larkspur. These grazing studies were conducted on semiarid sagebrush rangeland near Picabo, Idaho. Eight 6–7-yr-old mature Angus cows were used in 2008, whereas during 2009, 12 Angus cattle were used, including six yearling heifers and six 4-yr-old cows. The overall density of Anderson larkspur was 2.8 plants · m^?2 during 2008, and 4.9 plants · m^?2 during 2009. Total toxic alkaloid concentrations in Anderson larkspur plants were near or above 5 mg · g^?1 during both studies. During 2008 consumption peaked during the late flower and pod stage of growth. Overall in 2008 cows ate 3% of their bites as larkspur. During 2009 heifers ate about twice as much Anderson larkspur as did mature cows (5.1% of bites vs. 2.9%, respectively). Heifers repeatedly consumed sufficient larkspur that they collapsed; however, no animals were fatally intoxicated. Heifers appeared to become transiently averted to larkspur; however, heifers resumed consumption of D. andersonii after a period of one to several days of low or no consumption. Livestock management to reduce losses to Anderson larkspur should include timed grazing to avoid infested pastures during full flower to pod phenological stages, and grazing with older animals rather than yearling heifers.     

Grazing Systems for Yearling Cattle on Tallgrass Prairie

This 9-yr study tested steer gains, residual aboveground biomass (AGB) in mid-July and early October, and economic returns and risk for tallgrass prairie grazed annually under season-long stocking (SLS) at 1.62 ha · steer⁻¹ until early October or intensive early stocking (IES) at 0.81 ha · steer⁻¹ until mid-July compared to a composite grazing system. The three-pasture, three-herd “IES+ System” is a 3-yr fixed sequence of SLS, IES, and IES (0.81 ha · steer⁻¹) plus late-season grazing (LSG; 1.62 ha · steer⁻¹) until early October (IES/LSG). All grazing treatments began in late April. Average gains per steer for SLS and SLS in the IES+ System did not differ, but were significantly less than gains for steers that grazed the entire season under IES/LSG. Gains per steer in mid-July under IES alone or in combination with LSG were similar to the same repeated grazing treatments, but were significantly less than those for steers grazed season-long. Gains per hectare under SLS did not differ, but were significantly less than those for IES treatments and the IES+ System. Gain per hectare in July was similar for IES repeated annually and IES/LSG, but there was greater gain per hectare for IES-treated pastures rotated within the system. Residual grass and total aboveground biomass (AGB) in mid-July did not vary among years and was generally greater on SLS than IES. In early October, grass AGB was similar for all treatments except IES/LSG, which had less residual AGB. When pasture rent was charged per head, the IES+ System increased the 20-yr mean return per hectare by $5.98 compared to repeated use of IES, and $8.52 compared to using only SLS. Measures of economic risk were generally intermediate for the IES+ system compared to IES, which consistently had the highest risk, and SLS.     

不同补饲水平对盘江黄牛放牧育肥效果的影响

选用60头盘江黄牛公牛,随机分为4个组(其中3个试验组1个对照组),在放牧情况下分别按每头每日2.0、2.5、3.0、0kg的水平补饲料料,90d的育肥结果表明：补饲组的增重水平和育肥效益,明显优于不补饲组,其中以补饲2.5kg组的效果最好,其日增重达到0.783kg,比对照组的0.231kg提高239%;育肥收入和日均收入分别为218.79元和2.43元,比对照组的145.53元和1.62元增加收入33.6%,表明放牧补饲能提高日增重,缩短养牛时间,增加养牛收。     

Diet Composition of Cattle Grazing Sandhills Range During Spring

The grazing season on upland Sandhills range traditionally begins in mid-May when the dominant warm-season grasses have initiated growth. Initiating grazing earlier would improve efficiency of use of cool-season plants and reduce the time period during which hay is fed. A 2-year study was conducted to determine nutrient and botanical composition of cattle diets when grazing upland Sandhills range during spring. Diets were collected from esophageally-fistulated cows on 10 April, 1 May, and 22 May each year. Concurrently, current-year, and residual herbage was clipped to determine pasture composition and calculate preference indices for the primary plant species and groups. Averaged across dates, needleandthread (Stipa comata Trin. & Rupr.), bluegrasses (Poa spp.), and sedges (Carex spp.) accounted for 19% of the total herbage and 68% of the current-year herbage yield. These species constituted an average of 74% of cow diets. Diet composition of sedges was less on 10 April than on 22 May (P < 0.05), whereas similar amounts of needleandthread and bluegrasses were present on all dates. Preference indices indicated strong selection for species with abundant current-year growth and avoidance of residual herbage. Crude protein content of diets was less on 10 April (10.7%) than on 1 May or 22 May (13.9%, P < 0.05), likely because of a greater amount of residual herbage present in 10 April diets. Overall quality of diets would meet requirements of average spring-calving cows; however, grazing management strategies would need to account for the limited availability of current-year growth during spring, particularly April, to ensure that cattle are meeting their nutrient needs.     

Cattle Grazing and Vegetation Succession on Burned Sagebrush Steppe

There is limited information about the effects of cattle grazing to longer-term plant community composition and herbage production following fire in sagebrush steppe. This study evaluated vegetation response to cattle grazing over 7 yr (2007–2013) on burned Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis [Beetle & Young] Welsh) steppe in eastern Oregon. Treatments, replicated four times and applied in a randomized complete block design, included no grazing on burned (nonuse) and unburned (control) sagebrush steppe; and cattle grazing at low (low), moderate (moderate), and high (high) stocking on burned sagebrush steppe. Vegetation dynamics were evaluated by quantifying herbaceous (canopy and basal cover, density, production, reproductive shoot weight) and shrub (canopy cover, density) response variables. Aside from basal cover, herbaceous canopy cover, production, and reproduction were not different among low, moderate, and nonuse treatments. Perennial bunchgrass basal cover was about 25% lower in the low and moderate treatments than the nonuse. Production, reproductive stem weight, and perennial grass basal cover were greater in the low, moderate, and nonuse treatments than the control. The high treatment had lower perennial bunchgrass cover (canopy and basal) and production than other grazed and nonuse treatments. Bunchgrass density remained unchanged in the high treatment, not differing from other treatments, and reproductive effort was comparable to the other treatments, indicating these areas are potentially recoverable by reducing stocking. Cover and production of Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass) did not differ among the grazed and nonuse treatments, though all were greater than the control. Cover and density of A.t. spp. wyomingensis did not differ among the burned grazed and nonuse treatments and were less than the control. We concluded that light to moderate stocking rates are compatible to sustainable grazing of burned sagebrush steppe rangelands.     

Spotted Knapweed Utilization by Sequential Cattle and Sheep Grazing

Prescribed (or targeted) sheep grazing can effectively suppress the invasive perennial forb spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe L. ssp. micranthos [Gugler] Hayek). Some ranchers and other natural resource managers, however, resist using this weed management tool over concerns that sheep may consume too much of the graminoid standing crop, thereby decreasing its availability to cattle and wildlife and possibly harming graminoids with excessive defoliation. One potential approach to address these concerns is to graze spotted knapweed infestations first with cattle, immediately followed by sheep. We evaluated this sequential grazing strategy on foothill rangeland in western Montana, comparing sequential grazing at a moderate stocking rate in mid June (spotted knapweed in bolting stage) vs. mid July (spotted knapweed in late-bud/early flowering stage). Pastures (0.81 ha) were grazed with three yearling cattle for 7 d, immediately followed with 7 d of grazing by seven yearling sheep. Combined relative (i.e., utilization) of graminoids by cattle and sheep averaged 40% in June and July, safely within sustainable grazing use levels recommended for the site. Combined relative use of spotted knapweed by cattle and sheep also did not differ between June and July, averaging 62%. Previous research indicates that this degree of use is sufficient to suppress spotted knapweed. Our results indicate that prescribed sheep grazing can be applied immediately following cattle grazing in either June or July to suppress spotted knapweed without overusing desirable graminoids. Cattle and sheep will eat less graminoids and more spotted knapweed if cattle and sheep graze sequentially when spotted knapweed is in its late-bud/early flowering stage (mid July) rather than its bolting stage (mid June).     

Paddock Size and Stocking Density Affect Spatial Heterogeneity of Grazing

The claim that intensive rotational grazing (IRG) can sustain higher stocking rates can be partially explained by more even spatial distribution of grazing such that livestock consume forage from a greater proportion of a pasture. To test the hypothesis that utilization is more even at the higher stocking densities of smaller paddocks, mean absolute deviation (heterogeneity) of utilization estimates by plot was compared in paddocks of sizes and stocking densities representing increasing subdivision from two-paddock deferred rotation grazing (DRG) to 16-, 32-, and 64-paddock, two-cycle IRG. These 70-, 4-, 2-, and 1-ha paddocks were grazed for 7 wk, 4 d, 2 d, and 1 d, respectively, at 32 animal unit days (AUD)·ha⁻¹ during 2000 and 34 AUD·ha⁻¹ during 2001. Within IRG there was no response to the treatment gradient. After one cycle in the IRG paddocks, heterogeneity of use was generally lower than in the DRG paddocks, in both 2000 (3–11% [outlier 18%] vs. 14–19%) and 2001 (9–17% vs. 24–28%). After a second cycle in 2001, heterogeneity in half of the IRG paddocks (17–21%) was nearly as high as the early-grazed (24%), but not the late-grazed (28%), of the DRG paddocks. This lack of a stronger difference between systems was probably due to the fixed two-cycle IRG schedule and lack of plant growth during the nongrazing interval. Across both systems heterogeneity of utilization was strongly positively correlated with paddock size. Because utilization was not severely patchy in the largest treatment, the difference between systems would likely be greater in commercial-scale paddocks. Thus grazing distribution can be more even under intensive than extensive management, but this depends on how adaptively the system, particularly the aspects of timing and frequency, is managed.     

科尔沁牛夏季牧食行为的研究

2002年夏季在内蒙古科左后旗的天然草场上,采用跟群放牧全日观察法,定量研究了自然放牧状态下成年科尔沁牛牧食行为。结果表明,科尔沁牛的平均采食时间为410.9±34.8min,反刍时间为4.2±8.2min,卧息时间为5.0±17.3min,站立时间为18.0±16.8min,游走时间为80.4±12.9min。平均采食量为8.10千克/头·天。选择采食性特征最明显的7、8月份进行的调查结果表明,放牧牛采食所涉及的牧草种类共有16种,其中7月份11种,8月份12种。     

三河牛夏季牧食行为研究

2012年7—8月在内蒙古自治区呼伦贝尔市谢尔塔拉种牛场南1km处对三河牛青年牛的牧食行为进行了观测。结果表明,三河牛青年牛24h内有7~8个卧息(反刍)—采食—卧息(反刍)小周期,采食时间>卧息时间>反刍时间>站立时间;不同反刍周期间反刍速度无显著性差异(P>0.05);24h内平均排粪11次,排尿12次,其他活动时间较短。     

科尔沁牛冬季牧食行为

2002年冬季在内蒙古科左后旗的天然草场上,采用跟群放牧全日观察法,定量研究了科尔沁牛牧食行为。结果表明,科尔沁牛的平均采食时间为302．2±26．6 min,反刍时间为13．5±22．4 min,卧息时间为21．6±27．8 min,站立时间为14．1±9．5 min,游走时间为 78．2±26．6 min。平均采食速度为47．9±15．7口/分钟,平均采食量为5．31千克/头·天。日反刍周期出现于午休时间,反刍行为主要在夜间进行,夜间的反刍时间、反刍周期数和反刍总食团数均增加。     

科尔沁牛夏季牧食行为的研究

2002年夏季在内蒙古科左后旗的天然草场上,采用跟群放牧全日观察法,定量研究了自然放牧状态下成年科尔沁牛牧食行为.结果表明,科尔沁牛的平均采食时间为410.9±34.8 min,反刍时间为4.2±8.2 min,卧息时间为5.0±17.3 min,站立时间为18.0±16.8 min,游走时间为80.4±12.9 min.平均采食量为8.10 千克/头*天.选择采食性特征最明显的7、8月份进行的调查结果表明,放牧牛采食所涉及的牧草种类共有16种,其中7月份11种,8月份12种.     

科尔沁牛冬季牧食行为

2002年冬季在内蒙古科左后旗的天然草场上,采用跟群放牧全日观察法,定量研究了科尔沁牛牧食行为.结果表明,科尔沁牛的平均采食时间为302.2±26.6 min,反刍时间为13.5±22.4 min,卧息时间为21.6±27.8 min,站立时间为14.1±9.5 min,游走时间为78.2±26.6 min.平均采食速度为47.9±15.7口/分钟,平均采食量为5.31千克/头·天.日反刍周期出现于午休时间,反刍行为主要在夜间进行,夜间的反刍时间、反刍周期数和反刍总食团数均增加.     

科尔沁牛春季的牧食行为

2002年春季在内蒙古科左后旗的天然草场上,采用跟群放牧全日观察法,定量研究了自然放牧状态下成年科尔沁牛牧食行为。结果表明,科尔沁牛的平均采食时间为511.36±222.07min,反刍时间为66.38±14.60min,卧息时间为46.50±42.97min,站立时间为10.75±7.98min,游走时间为58.10±20.13min。平均采食速度为62.00±13.04口/分,平均采食量为10.38千克/头·天。对苔草草甸进行的受控放牧试验表明,主要牧草的选择性采食顺序为香茅>蒲公英>马蔺>芦苇>苔草。     

科尔沁牛春季的牧食行为

2002年春季在内蒙古科左后旗的天然草场上,采用跟群放牧全日观察法,定量研究了自然放牧状态下成年科尔沁牛牧食行为.结果表明,科尔沁牛的平均采食时间为511.36±222.07min,反刍时间为66.38±14.60min,卧息时间为46.50±42.97min,站立时间为10.75±7.98min,游走时间为58.10±20.13min.平均采食速度为62.00±13.04口/分,平均采食量为10.38千克/头·天.对苔草草甸进行的受控放牧试验表明,主要牧草的选择性采食顺序为香茅＞蒲公英＞马蔺＞芦苇＞苔草.     

蒙古牛春季牧食习性的观察研究

1997年春季(5月中下旬)在内蒙古锡林郭勒盟多伦县测定了蒙古牛的牧食习性,研究了蒙古牛的采食、站立、游走、卧息、反刍、饮水和排泄行为.研究结果表明,蒙古牛的平均采食时间为508.1±55.5min,共计6.3±2.1个采食周期;反刍时间为386.8±54.6min;卧息时间244.9±61.0min;站立游走时间300.2±79.0.平均采食速度7.6±8.1口/min,平均采食量10.10kg/头·d.蒙古牛春季采食的牧草种类主要为单子叶植物中的禾本科、莎草科、百合科和鸢尾科植物.     

Cattle Grazing Effects on Macroinvertebrates in an Oregon Mountain Stream

Cattle grazing effects on aquatic macroinvertebrates were assessed in a 4-year experiment of a mountain stream in northeastern Oregon. From 1996 through 1999, 10 cow–calf pairs were introduced into 6 experimental units along the stream for 42 days between July and September, and effects on aquatic macroinvertebrates were compared with 3 units in which no grazing occurred. Streambank and geomorphological variables were also measured to provide context for interpretation of effects on aquatic macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrate response to grazing was subtle, indicated by significantly lower abundance in grazed units. We measured more profound effects on streambanks: grazing caused an average decrease of 18% in bank length of the highest stability/cover class and caused an average increase of 8% in the lowest condition class over the course of each summer. By June of each following year, banks had recovered to their previous June condition, but grazing each summer caused a progressively larger decline in bank condition by September. Streambank effects were accompanied by an increase in cobble embeddedness over time in grazed units and were correlated with grazing-associated stream widening. Treatment effects were overwhelmed, however, by a profound decline in the abundance of most macroinvertebrates over the study period, with a drop in September 1999 to 14% of the initial September abundance of 1997. While the drop was more precipitous in grazed units, declines were common to all study units, suggesting that something more widespread affected the system during this time. Logging on lands just upstream of the study area in 1998 and 1999, in which trucks drove through the study stream without the benefit of a culvert, sent sediment plumes into the study area each of those 2 years and could have caused the precipitous decline in aquatic macroinvertebrates.