HomeOld_PostsProtecting livestock from ravages of drought

Protecting livestock from ravages of drought

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FREQUENT droughts due to the effects of climate change have become a major concern for farmers and producers across the globe.
And as the effects of El Nino take their toll on the country it is not only producers of crops who are suffering.
Farmers in animal husbandry have also been hit hard by the lack of rains.
Erratic rains have resulted in shortages of pasture.
Some farmers in Matabeleland and Masvingo provinces have lost their livestock.
According to media reports, about five beasts are dying weekly in Bikita due to drought.
“We are in a bad situation here in Bikita and if it continues like this, most people in my area will lose all their livestock,” said Chief Mukanganwi in The Chronicle (December 25 2015).
Presently the national herd stands at around five million and efforts are being made by Government and stakeholders to boost it.
Government plans to increase the herd to 25 million in the next 20 years.
According to the Crop and Livestock Assessment Report, the national herd has increased slightly by two percent from
5, 2 million during the 2012/2013 season to 5, 3 million.
According to the report, the country has 521 607 sheep, 3, 7 million goats and more than 300 000 pigs.
Pundits posit various ways of ensuring survival of livestock during periods of drought.
“To keep animals healthy during the dry seasons, farmers must have the skills for developing effective plans for livestock feed and supplementing them with nutrients, if there are not enough pastures for them,” said agronomist Prosper Maponga.
“Heat stress weakens the immune system of animals and makes them more susceptible to diseases. Milk and meat production decreases.
“This is so because the natural reaction of cattle and other livestock during a hot summer day is to reduce intake of food because their body heat rises during digestion, causing further discomfort.
“During these times, your herd needs special care and additional supplements besides their regular diet. If they are not supplied with a high nutritional dietary supplement, they may lose weight significantly,” he said.
Supplementing livestock with good quality hay supplies necessary nutrients for livestock to cope with summer heat and also reduce pressure on pastures during droughts, said Maponga.
He said it was critical for farmers to create feedlots to ensure livestock has adequate pastures.
A feedlot, also known as a ‘feed yard’, is a land area under a perimeter fence where livestock is restricted and fed a highly specialised diet.
“Creation of feedlots is important and should not be regarded as an expensive or unnecessary exercise,” Maponga said.
“Restricting livestock to particular areas also gives pastures an opportunity to recover,” he said.
Other measures such as early weaning of calves, he said, could be taken to ensure livestock does not suffer.
“Farmers must consider early weaning of calves as the nutrient requirement of a dry cow is about 50 percent to 65 percent of that of a cow nursing a calf.
“A young calf on dry feed has an efficient feed conversion rate. It is more cost-effective if you wean and feed the calf and let the cow forage for her own needs.
“If this is done before the cow loses substantial weight and if we get some rain and forage growth, the cow would be in reasonably good body condition and can quickly recover,” said Moponga.
“When you feed hay, do not waste it by providing cows with more than they can eat or utilise. For example, feeding hay on the ground results in excessive waste. Using hay rings usually results in substantial improvement,” he said.
Cattle, he said, could be on alternative feed other than hay.
“Cattle can eat more than hay; in fact, they will do very well on many other types of feed. By-product feeds to consider include; poultry litter, soyabean hulls, wheat midds, cottonseed hulls and peanut hulls,” he said.
Farmers, he said, were not supposed to lose livestock despite harsh weather conditions.
Below are some measures to improve pastures:
l Don’t graze too long on short grass — it will take even longer to recover.
l Better to concentrate cattle in one area that is ‘sacrificed’ and feed them there.
l Let the grass grow back before grazing. Grazing short grass means you will have shorter grass for even a longer time.
Nitrate toxicity is a concern with rapid forage growth following drought. Especially risky is a field that has been well-fertilised with nitrogen.
All the more reason to wait a few weeks until growth resumes.

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