STOCKING RATE

1
STOCKING RATE
2
Definition

• The number or biomass of animals stocked in a
  unit of land

3
Stocking rate units

• 5 cattle/ha
• 5 KK cattle/ha
• 5 sheep/ha
• 5 animal units/ha (1 a.u. one 2-year old
  cattle)
• 1000 kg biomass/ha

4
Importance of stocking rate

• Understocked (stocking rate too low)
• The feed supply is not used to capacity
• Pastures become mature and uneven
• The farmer does not get maximum returns

5
Overstocked (stocking rate too high)

• Animals get inadequate feed
• Pastures get too short and overgrazed
• The farmer does not get maximum returns

6
Optimum Stocking Rate

• The stocking rate which will give maximum animal
  production while sustaining pasture growth

7
Factors determining optimum stocking rate

• Type of pasture
• Fertilizer input
• Type of animals
• Climate
• Availability of supplementary feed

8
Response of animals to stocking rate

• Production per animal
• Declines with increasing stocking rate
• The decline is linear
• Production per hectare
• Increases with increasing s.r. up to a maximum
  then declines
• The response is quadratic

9
Stocking Rate Cattle/ha LWG kg/animal LWG kg/ha
1 300 300
2 250 500
3 200 600
4 150 600
5 100 500
6 50 300
7 0 0
10
(No Transcript)
11
(No Transcript)
12
Optimum stocking rate

• Y a bX
• Where YLWG per head
• Xstocking rate
• Optimum stocking rate a/2b

13
Ya-bX

• a intercept
• the maximum output per animal
• Reflects the quality of pasture
• High quality pastures have high value of a
• b slope
• The decline in animal output with increase in
  stocking rate
• Reflects quantity of pasture
• Productive pastures have low value of b

14
Optimum Stocking Rates for Beef Cattle
Animal Type Pasture Type Stocking rate animal/ha Expected LWG/day
Beef Cattle Grass 300 kg N/ha 4-5 (crossbred) 400-450 g
Beef Cattle Grass 300 kg N/ha 6-7 (KK) 300-350 g
Beef Cattle Grass legume 2-3 (crossbred) 300-350 g
Beef Cattle Grass legume 3-4 (KK) 300-350 g
15
Optimum Stocking Rate Dairy Cattle
Animal Type Pasture Type Stocking rate animal/ha Expected milk kg/d
Dairy cattle Grass 0 N 1 (S/F) 6-7
Dairy cattle Grass legumes 2 (S/F) 12-13
Dairy cattle Grass N 2-4 (S/F) 7-10
S/F Sahiwal Friesian cross
16
Optimum Stocking Rates for Goats and Sheep
Animal Type Pasture Type Stocking rate animal/ha Expected LWG/d
Goats Sheep Grass unfertilized 10 30-80 g
Goats Sheep Fertilized grass 30-40 30-80
17
Effects of stocking rate, N fertilizer and grass
species on animal production
Grass Species Stocking Rate animals/ha N fertilizer rate kg N/ha LWG g/day LWG kg/ha yr-1
Brachiaria decumbens 8 150 286 835
Brachiaria decumbens 8 300 353 1031
Digitaria setivalva 6 150 276 604
Digitaria setivalva 6 300 341 747
Panicum maximum 6 150 335 734
Panicum maximum 6 300 403 883
18
Effects of stocking rate on yield and composition
of grass pasture
Species Stocking Rate animals/ha DM Yield of pasture kg/ha of sown grass weeds bare spaces
Guinea 6 2552 85.5 7.2 7.3
Guinea 8 1276 30.2 53.7 16.6
Guinea 10 986 10.3 74.5 15.2
Signal 6 3044 94.0 0.5 5.5
Signal 8 2171 81.2 9.3 9.5
Signal 10 1513 38.0 46.4 15.6
19
END