Transcript Chapter 4: Forage Considerations for the Goat Herd

Forage Considerations for
the Goat Herd
Richard E. Joost, Univ. of Tennessee at Martin
Gary E. Bates, Univ. of Tennessee Extension
Gregory L. Brann, USDA-NRCS
Definitions
 Grass – any one of a number of plant species that
have leaves that are typically longer than they are
wide, with parallel veins
 Forb –broadleaf plants that are not grasses,
sometimes divided to separate out legumes
 Legume – plants that produce pod type fruits and
are characterized by fixing atmospheric N
 Browse – the leaves and growing tips of forbs and
woody shrubs
Goats are Browsers!
Botanical Composition of Grazing
Animal Diets
% of Diet
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Grass
Forb
Browse
Bison Horses Cattle Sheep
Livestock Species
Goats
Deer
Methods of Pasture Establishment
1. Conventional tillage
2. No-till with equipment
3. Broadcast seeding
1. Frost seeding
2. Animal Tread-in
Keys to Successful Pasture Establishment
1.
2.
3.
4.
Select the proper seeding rate
Plant within the proper seeding date window
Insure good soil-seed contact
Control competition from weeds and existing
species
5. Make sure soil pH and fertility are adequate
6. Inoculate legumes
Soil Sampling Pasture Systems
 A sample should represent a maximum of 20
acres, preferably much less
 Avoid sampling within 150 feet of watering
points, mineral access, and shade
 Use a coring device to take 15-20 cores from
the area the sample will represent
 Take to the depth used by the lab you are
using
 Sample pastures every 3-5 years
Tolerance of Forage Species to
Soil pH
Legumes
Cool-season
High (5.8-6.5)
Warm-Season
Alfalfa, Sweet clover, Sainfoin
Medium (5.5-5.8)
Arrowleaf clover, Ball clover
White clover, Red clover,
Crimson clover,
Subterranean clover,
Birdsfoot trefoil
Kudzu
Sericea lespedeza,
Annual lespedezas
Johnsongrass,
Sorghum-sudangrass
Low (5.1-5.5)
Bromegrass,
Reed canarygrass,
Orchardgrass,
Wheat, Oats
Very Low (Below 5.1)
Tall fescue
Ryegrass, Rye, Timothy
Pearl millet,
Napier, Guinea
Dallisgrass
Bermudagrass
Bahiagrass
Crabgrass
Checklist for Forage Stand Failures
 Failure to germinate
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Dry seedbed
Non-viable seed
Hard or dormant seed
Unfavorable temperature
Herbicide residue
Waterlogged soil
 Emergence failure, germination but no emergence
 Early seedling stand failure
Checklist for Forage Stand Failures
 Failure to germinate
 Emergence failure, germination but no emergence
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Planted too deep
Soil crusted at surface
Poor seedling vigor
Insects or disease
Extreme temperatures
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Too hot or too cold
 Early seedling stand failure
Checklist for Forage Stand Failures
 Failure to germinate
 Emergence failure, germination but no emergence
 Early seedling stand failure
 Soil too acid or low fertility
 Insects or disease
 Drought
 Weed competition
 No legume nodulation
 Winterkill
 Frost heaving
 Sandblasting from high winds
 Grazing too early
Managing Soil Fertility
 Liming
 Impacts nutrient availability and root growth of
forage species
 Nitrogen
 Influences vegetative growth of pasture species,
especially grasses
 Phosphorus
 Important to root growth, especially of seedlings
 Potassium
 Impacts cold hardiness and disease resistance of
forages
Mineral Nutrient Cycling in Pastures
Nutrient Availability in Relation to Soil pH
from Troeh and Thompsen, 2005
Average Annual Nitrogen Fixation by
Common Forage Legumes
Legume
Alfalfa
Alsike clover
Annual lespedeza
Birdsfoot trefoil
Ball clover
Crimson clover
Hairy vetch
Red clover
Sweet clover
White clover
Annual N Fixation
(kg/ha)
150-350
20-165
50-193
30-130
34-112
56-230
110-168
60-200
70-140
112-190
Palatability
 Physical factors
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Texture
Hairiness
Thorns and spines
Succulence
Leafiness
 Chemical factors
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Aroma
Sugar content
Fertilization/mineral content
Grazing Preference - dependent on forages
available and animals experience
 Desirable
 Multiflora rose
 Briars
 Ironweed
 Ragweed
 Lambsquarter
 Sericea lespedeza
 Annual lespedezas
 Honeysuckle
 Spiny amaranth
 pigweed
 Privet
 Kudzu
 Buckbush
 Curly dock
 Winter annuals
 Intermediate
 bermuda
 Chickweed
 Thistle
 Burdock
 Tree of heaven
 White clover
 Buttercup
 Japanese grass
 Undesirable
 Horse nettle
 Black nightshade
 Perilla mint
 Poison hemlock
Proximate Analysis
1.
Moisture
Oven dry at 135°C
2. Ash
Inorganic constituents remaining after ashing at
>600°C in muffle furnace
3. Crude Protein (CP)
N content X 6.25
Kjeldahl distillation
Assumes all N is in protein and all protein is 16%
N
Proximate Analysis - Continued
4.
Ether Extract
Fats, oils, waxes, resins, and pigments
5.
Crude Fiber
Digest in dilute acid, dilute alkali
Residue – Ash = Crude Fiber
Consists of cellulose, lignin and hemicellulose
6.
Nitrogen Free Extract (NFE)
100 – (Moisture + Crude Fiber + Ether Extract + Ash + CP)
Measures mostly the remaining carbohydrates
TDN
Total Digestible Nutrients
TDN =  DCF + DNFE + DCP + (DEE X 2.25)
Requires digestiblity coefficients for each
constituent.
Neutral Detergent Fiber
P. J. Van Soest
Buffered 2% sodium lauryl sulfate
Extracts soluble cell contents and pectins.
Residue
LIGNIN + CELLULOSE + HEMICELLULOSE
Highly correlated with intake.
%bw DMI = 120/%NDF
Acid Detergent Fiber
1N H2SO4 + 2% hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium
bromide
Extracts hemicellulose and some cellulose.
Residue
LIGNIN + CELLULOSE
Highly correlated with digestibility.
DDM%= 88.9-(%ADF x 0.779)
Detergent Fiber Sequence
Insoluble Residues
Forage Sample
Solubles
Cell Contents
Neutral Detergent
Cell Walls
Hemicellulose
Acid Detergent
Lignin & Cellulose
72% H2SO4
KMnO
Cellulose & Ash
Lignin & Ash
Ignition
Ignition
Ash
Ash
Forage Quality & Goat Requirements
TDN
TDN %
80
70
Weanling
Does in Early Lactation
60
Dry & Early Pregnant Does
Yearling
50
40
30
Pasture Veget. Pasture Mature Pasture Dead
Forage Quality & Goat Requirements
PROTEIN
20
Weanling
CP %
15
Does in Early Lactation
Yearling
Dry and Early Pregnant Does
10
5
0
Pasture Veget.
Pasture Mature
Pasture Dead
Protein (%)
Black locust
30
Mimosa
25
Mulberry
Honey locust
20
15
10
5
0
9/97
6/98
Chemical composition of various plants
browsed by goats (%)
Browse type
Crude
protein
Neutral
detergent fiber
Calcium
Phosphorous
Multiflora rose
18.2
34.5
0.99
0.32
Black locust
23.0
44.0
1.26
0.21
Honeysuckle
16.0
34.5
1.21
0.30
Brambles
17.1
24.5
0.23
0.84
Privet
20.0
26.8
0.89
0.34
Green briar
16.1
39.5
0.60
0.18
Trumpet
creeper
16.7
43.1
0.42
0.22
Standard Growth Curve of Forages
The Grass Crown
Plant Growth Habits
Types of Forage Plants
1. Annuals
Plants that complete their life cycle in one year and
need to be re-seeded to come back
2. Perennials
Plants that come back every year from vegetative plant
parts without needing to be re-seeded
3. Warm-Season Plants
Plants that complete the majority of their growth in the
summer at temperatures of 85-95ºF
 Cool-Season Plants
Plants that complete the majority of their growth in the
fall and spring at temperatures of 65-75ºF
Cool Season –vs- Warm Season
Perennial Browse Species
Warm-Season
Cool-Season
Cedar
Elm
Greenbriar
Maple
Oak
Sumac
Wild Plum
Yaupon
Buckbrush
Multiflora rose
Privet
Honeysuckle
Privet
Perennial warm-season browse
Multiflora Rose
Perennial warm-season browse
Yaupon
Perennial warm-season browse
Greenbriar
Perennial warm-season browse
Honeysuckle
Perennial cool-season browse
Perennial Forb Species
Warm-Season
Cool-Season
Burdock
Plantain
Goldenrod
Ironweed
Curly Dock
Thistle
Chicory
Dandelion
Goldenrod
Perennial warm-season forb
Ironweed
Perennial warm-season forb
Chicory
Perennial cool-season forb
Seeding rate 4 lbs/acre
Perennial Grass Species
Warm-Season
Cool-Season
Bermudagrass
Big bluestem
Dallisgrass
Eastern gamagrass
Indiangrass
Johnsongrass
Switchgrass
Kentucky bluegrass
Matua Bromegrass
Orchardgrass
Reed canarygrass
Tall fescue’
Timothy
Bermudagrass
Perennial warm-season grass
Seeding rate 5 lbs/acre
Big Bluestem
Perennial warm-season grass
Seeding rate 8 lbs/acre
Johnsongrass
Perennial warm-season grass
Seeding rate 20 lbs/acre
Tall Fescue
Perennial cool-season grass
Seeding rate 20 lbs/acre
Timothy
Perennial cool-season grass
Seeding rate 8 lbs/acre
Perennial Legume Species
Warm-Season
Cool-Season
Illinois bundleflower
Kudzu
Sericea lespedeza
Alfalfa
Birdsfoot trefoil
Red clover
Sweetclover
White clover
Illinois Bundleflower
Perennial warm-season legume
Seeding Rate 13 lbs/acre
Sericea lespedeza
Perennial warm-season legume
Seeding Rate 25 lbs/acre
Kudzu
Perennial warm-season legume
Alfalfa
Perennial cool-season legume
Seeding rate 15 lbs/acre
Annual Forb Species
Warm-Season
Cool-Season
Lambsquarter
Pigweed
Spiny amaranth
Ragweed
Forage rape
Kale
Swedes
Turnips
Lambsquarter
Annual warm-season forb
Pigweed
Annual warm-season forb
Pigweed
Annual warm-season forb
Ragweed
Annual warm-season forb
Forage Rapeseed
Annual cool-season forb
Annual Grass Species
Warm-Season
Cool-Season
Broadleaf signalgrass
Crabgrass
Foxtails
Pearl millet
Sorghum-sudangrass
Oats
Rye
Ryegrass
Triticale
Broadleaf Signalgrass
Annual warm-season grass
Foxtail
Annual warm-season grass
Annual Legume Species
Warm-Season
Cool-Season
Cowpea
Hemp sesbania
Korean lespedeza
Partridge pea
Striate lespedeza
Arrowleaf clover
Berseem clover
Crimson clover
Vetch
Striate lespedeza
Annual warm-season legume
Seeding rate 25 lbs/acre
Hemp sesbania
Annual warm-season legume
Partridge pea
Annual warm-season legume
Crimson clover
Annual cool-season legume
Seeding rate 20 lbs/acre
Grazing Management
Definition
Manipulation of animal grazing to supply the forage
needed for the grazing animal to achieve production
goals while obtaining desired plant, land and economic
responses.
GRAZING HEIGHT,
FROM SOIL SURFACE
HIGHER ….TO LOWER
Goat >Cattle > Sheep > Horse
Rotational vs. Continuous Stocking
Guidelines for Grazing System Design
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Water placement
Paddock shape
Number of paddocks
Follow the landscape
Use of similar grazing capacities
Plan alleyways for animal movement only
Impact of Distance to Water on Forage
Utilization
Paddock Shape
 Keep paddocks as near square as possible
 Improves uniformity of grazing
 Interacts with distance to water
 With shorter grazing periods, shape is less critical
 Amount of fencing required varies with paddock shape
Area = 1 acre
Perimeter = 834.84 ft.
Area = 1 acre
Perimeter = 1043.55 ft.
Area = 1 acre
Perimeter = 1147.9 ft.
Number of Paddocks
 Select based on utilization and performance
goals
 Consider grazing tolerance of forages
 Base on regrowth characteristics of forages
 Look at the economic potential of various
systems
Paddocks needed = (Rest period/Grazing period) + 1
Follow the Landscape
 Allows producers to better fit forages to
soil capability
 Provides better ability to pull paddocks
out of rotation for hay harvest
 Evens out pasture productivity
Use Similar Grazing Capacities
 Better maintains forage availability and
quality throughout a grazing period
 Keeping paddocks similar sized may
result in nutritional stress
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Need to focus on stocking rate and animal
production when setting fences
Impact of Grazing Rotation on Forage
Quality
Parasitized Goat
Parasite Larvae in a Dew Drop