Effect of pasture availability and shearing stress on herbage intake of grazing sheep

Abstract

Digestible organic matter (D.O.M.) intakes of sheep grazing various pastures were measured by faecal index methods in three 4- to 6-week experiments. No correlation could be found between the weight of pasture available (over the range 150–2900 Ib dry weight per acre of green herbage) and the D.O.M. intake of sheep. During two experiments the sheep were shorn. Shortly after, voluntary D.O.M. intakes rose significantly by 42–62%. Concurrently the hay intake of other sheep yarded nearby rose by 20–51% following shearing. Cold stress is probably responsible for these increases.