Preliminary analysis of sheep farms production practices in mountain areas of Tizi-Ouzou (Algeria): feeding case

摘要

TheobjectiveofthisstudyistoanalyzethefeedingmanagementofsheepfarmsinmountainousareasofAlgeria.16sheepfarmsinmountainareaofTizi-Ouzouwerefollowedeverymonthduringoneyear.Thesizeofsheepfarming,conductedinextensive,isonaverage32heads/exploitation.Animalfeedisessentiallybasedonpasture(over12ha/farm)throughouttheyearwhosethegrazingperiodis6hours/dayonaverage.StubblesarevaluedfromJulytoSeptember.Withsmallamounts,theconcentrateandhayaredistributedasacomplement.Respectively3.6kg/UGB/dayand3kgDM/LU/day.Breedersbuymonthly120kgofconcentratesduringthewholeyear.Thehayisboughtduringthemonthswhenitischeaper(SeptembertoMarch),attherateof112.5kgpermonth.Inordertoproducenaturalforage,oatsandbarley,farmersusesmallareastocultivateindryonaverage2.8ha.Thus,thefeedingstrategiesofanimalsinsheepfarmsremainsextensivewithuseofconcentratedsmallerthanintheplains.