Alternative feeding regimes to ewes in organic farming in northern Norway

摘要

With a demand of 100% organic feed in organic sheep production the provision of feed is a challenge for many organic farmers in Norway. Organic concentrates are expensive compared with conventional concentrates and in northern Norway the climate limits the production of grain and protein-rich feeds. An experiment in organic lamb meat production in northern Norway was launched in 2002. Norwegian sheep received different indoor feeding regimes during late gestation and early lactation. The aim of the experiment was to compare a traditional diet based on grass silage and commercial concentrate, with a diet based on grass silage, potatoes and fishmeal, without changing the animal performance. Ewe-weight changes between the control diet and the experimental diet were not different (2.0 and 1.5 kg, respectively). Neither was the lambs' average daily gain different between treatments (291 and 290 g d~(-1), respectively). It is concluded that a supplement diet containing organic potatoes and fishmeal can be used as an alternative to a diet containing traditional organic commercial concentrate to ewes during late gestation and early lactation.