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Second FAO Electronic Conference on Tropical Feeds
Livestock Feed Resources within Integrated Farming Systems
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Abstract of the sixteenth paper, from A. Salman.

Questions that might stimulate discussion on this topic
include:

1. Do you have experience in supplementing stubble grazing
with urea multinutrient blocks?

2. Do you have experience in replacing part of the urea by
other sources of non protein nitrogen, such as poultry manure?

3. Have you used blocks formulae where the traditional binders
(cement and quick lime) were totally replaced by locally
available binders such as clay or fuelwood ashes?

4. Do you think that multinutrient blocks are a good medium
for distributing by-pass proteins?

5. In your area, is the major benefit of using urea
multinutrient blocks the improvement of reproductive
performance?

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THE ROLE OF MULTINUTRIENT BLOCKS FOR SHEEP PRODUCTION IN
INTEGRATED CEREAL-LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEM IN IRAQ

Ala D. Salman

IPA Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box 34094
Baghdad-Iraq
E-Mail: c/o <FAO-IRQ@field.fao.org>

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ABSTRACT

One of the main limiting factors affecting sheep production in
Iraq is the shortage of feed resources, especially protein.
Cereal stubble grazing and hand-feeding of chopped straw are
the main components of the sheep diet for a considerable part
of the year.

Multinutrient blocks were manufactured from urea and locally
available agro-industrial by-products. The potential of
multinutrient blocks as supplementary feed for sheep was
investigated in several on-station and on-farm experiments.
The results of these experiments indicate the value of
multinutrient blocks as supplementary feed for sheep in Iraq.
Using multinutrient blocks during cereal stubble grazing
improved the ewes' weight gain (47-100%), conception rates
(7-27%) and twinning percentage(26%). Using multinutrient
blocks during the ewes' hand-feeding period resulted in
replacement of 40% of costly barley grain. The adoption of
multinutrient blocks by sheep owners is considered as a major
breakthrough in animal feeding in Iraq. Although this
technique was introduced to Iraq only a couple of years ago,
the total of multinutrient blocks produced during 1995-96
campaign has reached 15,000 tons manufactured mainly by
private plants (13 out of 14), and used by nearly 4,000 sheep
owners buying the blocks at cost price plus 30% marginal
profit.

KEY WORDS: multinutrient block, urea, sheep, stubble, straw,
agro-industrial by-product, supplement, barley

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FAO ELECTRONIC CONFERENCE:
LIVESTOCK FEED RESOURCES WITHIN INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS
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