Performance of sheep and cattle grazed together in different ratios

Abstract

On annual pasture, autumn-lambing ewes and steers were grazed together in ratios of 20 to 80 per cent sheep, at a rate of stocking equivalent to 7.4 ewes or 2.1 steers ha-1, and their performance was measured against that of similar ewes and steers grazed separately each at five rates of stocking. In three years of good pasture, the annual performance of steers was not affected by mixed stocking and that of sheep, mainly lamb performance, benefited to an increasing degree as the proportion of sheep in the ratio decreased. The fraction of the mixed-stock area required to have achieved the same performance per animal with separate stocking ranged, with a decrease in the proportion of sheep, from 1.13 to 1.32 for the combination of steer and lamb production and from 0.96 to 1.05 for the combination of steer and wool production. In one year of drought, the effect of mixed stocking was generally the same for sheep as in the earlier years but for steers performance was now depressed, and to a similar degree at all ratios. There was now little or no overall benefit from mixed stocking. The main effects of mixed stocking occurred when green pasture was short or sparse. However, a consistent result early in the year, when there was only dry pasture for most of the time, was a slight depression in steer performance but a slight increase in wool production with mixed stocking. In years of good pasture this effect on steers was eliminated later in the year.