Goat Grazing on Abandoned Field: Effect on Botanical Composition and Animal Nutrition

Abstract

Goats are the most suitable domestic animal to improve the botanical composition of abandoned fields owing to their foraging ability. The objective of the present study was to evaluate appropriate stocking rate of goats to improve the botanical composition of an abandoned field and maintain the nutritional status of goats in a favorable condition. An abandoned field was divided into two paddocks (0.5 and 0.3ha) with 7 (14 animals/ha) and 9 goats (30 animals/ha), respectively. They were stocked for 149 and 180 days during the first and second years of the study, respectively. Regardless of the stocking rate, herbage mass was controlled under 2t DM/ha after the start of grazing. Coverage of grass species increased gradually throughout the study period. Herbage intake and digestibility were not different between the two stocks. The goats fulfilled their nutritional requirements and maintained their body weight throughout the study period, except for once just after the start of grazing in the first year. The results suggest that goat grazing can fulfill the nutritional requirement of goats without any supplementary feeds, and also increases the coverage of grass within the range of stocking rate (14-30 animals/ha) in an abandoned field.