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Shelter Trees Provide Shady Benefits February 14, 2005 Shelter and shade are 2 basic requirements of animal welfare. This is becoming a major consumer issue so farmers need to address it. If nothing else you are unlikely to be maximising profitability if livestock are regularly stressed by heat or cold. NZ studies show: newly shorn sheep require 30% more feed in open paddocks than those with shelter. Lamb losses could be reduced by 50% or more with shelter. Young lambs grew 7% faster with shelter and dairy heifers with shelter grew faster than their matched twins. Dairy cows in the north produced 16% less when shade and shelter was removed. Shelter can be beneficial for pasture too. Shelter belts can improve pasture production during high winds and shade trees can reduce pasture burn-off in drought. Dairy herd milk yields begin to drop off when temperatures exceed 21˚C and fall off dramatically above 26˚C. A US study showed a 40% improvement in weight gain for steers given shade compared to those without. Put some thought into plantings. Deciduous shelter belts running east to west provide suitable summer shade without stock camping problems. Ensure you have enough shade trees in open paddocks to prevent excessive dung and urine build up. 15-25 stems per hectare (20-25m spacings) is a reasonable compromise for poplars or honey locusts. High prune to minimise shading on pasture. Strategic placing on hillsides may encourage stock to graze areas they might otherwise avoid. This also encourages fertility transfer back to the slopes. |
©2004 The Main Report Ltd