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 2
250
500 3
200
600 4
150 5
100 6 50 7

11. Ya= a -bX
Yh = aX – bX2

12. Optimum stocking rate Y= a – bX Where Y=LWG per head X=stocking rate
Optimum stocking rate = a/2b

13. Y=a-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 kg N/ha
4-5 (crossbred) g
6-7 (KK) g
Grass + legume
2-3 (crossbred)
3-4 (KK)

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
Grass + legumes
2 (S/F)
12-13
Grass + N
2-4 (S/F)
7-10
S/F = Sahiwal Friesian cross

16. Stocking rate animal/ha Expected LWG/d
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
Fertilized grass
30-40
30-80

17. Effects of stocking rate, N fertilizer and grass species on animal production
Stocking Rate animals/ha
N fertilizer rate kg N/ha
LWG g/day
LWG kg/ha
yr-1
Brachiaria decumbens 8
150
286
835
300
353
1031
Digitaria setivalva 6
276
604
341
747
Panicum maximum
335
734
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 8
1276
30.2
53.7
16.6 10
986
10.3
74.5
15.2
Signal
3044
94.0
0.5
5.5
2171
81.2
9.3
9.5
1513
38.0
46.4
15.6

19. END