Stocking rate unitsStocking 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
Importance of stocking rateImportance 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
Overstocked (stocking rate too high)Overstocked (stocking rate too high)
– Animals get inadequate feed
– Pastures get too short and overgrazed
– The farmer does not get maximum returns
Optimum Stocking RateOptimum Stocking Rate
The stocking rate which will give maximum animal production while sustaining pasture growth
Factors determining optimum Factors determining optimum stocking ratestocking rate
• Type of pasture
• Fertilizer input
• Type of animals
• Climate
• Availability of supplementary feed
Response of animals to stocking Response of animals to stocking raterate
• 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
Stocking RateCattle/ha
LWG kg/animal LWG kg/ha
1 300 300
2 250 500
3 200 600
4 150 600
5 100 500
6 50 300
7 0 0
Stocking Rate and Animal Production
0
100
200
300400
500
600
700
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Stocking Rate cattle/ha
kg
Stocking Rate
LWG kg/an
LWG kg/ha
Optimum stocking rateOptimum stocking rate
Y= a – bX
Where Y=LWG per head
X=stocking rate
Optimum stocking rate = a/2b
Y=a-bXY=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
Animal Type
Pasture Type
Stocking rate animal/ha
Expected LWG/day
Beef Cattle
Grass + 300 kg N/ha
4-5 (crossbred) 400-450 g
6-7 (KK) 300-350 g
Grass + legume
2-3 (crossbred) 300-350 g
3-4 (KK) 300-350 g
Optimum Stocking Rates for Beef 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
Optimum Stocking Rate Dairy Cattle
S/F = Sahiwal Friesian cross
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
Optimum Stocking Rates for Goats and Sheep
Grass Species 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
6 150 276 604
300 341 747
Panicum maximum
6 150 335 734
300 403 883
Effects of stocking rate, N fertilizer and grass species on animal production
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 6 3044 94.0 0.5 5.5
8 2171 81.2 9.3 9.5
10 1513 38.0 46.4 15.6
Effects of stocking rate on yield and composition of grass pasture
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