APPENDIX 4

LIVESTOCK NUTRITION STANDARDS

Table A4.1. Protein requirements of livestock expressed in terms of the protein content of forage
LIVESTOCK TYPE	PROTEIN CONTENT (%)
SHEEP
Store	6
Fattening	10
CATTLE
Dairy cows lactating	15
Cows pregnant	10
Calves (>8 weeks)	16
HORSES
Mature	6

Table A4.2  Examples of criteria for interpreting mineral content ratios of grass species in terms of deficiencies and surpluses for livestock production, Zambia (FAO, 1991c)
Phosphorus:Nitrogen	> 0.15 - N deficiency
	< 0.05 - P deficiency
	(P deficiency < 0.05%, N deficiency < 0.5%)
Potassium:Nitrogen	deficit < 1.0 > surplus
Calcium:Phosphorus	deficit < 0.6 > surplus
Magnesium:Phosphorus	deficit < 0.35 > surplus
Manganese	< 20 ppm (maintenance) - 50 ppm (pregnancy)

Table A4.3 Nutrient contents of veld forage species (grasses and shrubs) relative to livestock feeding requirements, South Africa (Tainton, 1988)
NUTRIENT	UNIT	RELATIVE TO LIVESTOCK FEEDING REQUIREMENTS
		EXCESSIVE	MARGINALY DEFICIENT	EXTREMELY DEFICIENT
Crude protein	%	>9	5 - 9	<5
Calcium (Ca)	%	>0.2 - 0.5	0.15 - 0.20	<0.15
Magnesium (Mg)	%	>0.07 - 0.10	0.04 - 0.07	<0.04
Phosphorus (P)	%	>0.20 - 0.46	0.10 - 0.20	<0.10
Iron (Fe)	ppm	>30	20 - 30	<20
Copper (Cu)	ppm	> 5 - 10	4 - 5	<4
Cobalt (Co)	ppm	>0.10	0.06 - 0.10	<0.06
Manganese (Mn)	ppm	>40	20 - 40	<20
Note: ppm = parts per million

Table A4.4  Mineral requirements of sheep and cattle expressed in terms of concentration in pasture, New Zealand (Grace, 1983)
NUTRIENT	UNIT	PASTURE MINERAL CONTENT
		SHEEP	CATTLE
Sodium (Na) Potassium (K) Magnesium (Mg) Calcium (Ca) Phosphorus (P) Sulphur (S) Chlorine (Cl) Copper (Cu) Cobalt (Co) Selenium (Se) Iodine (I) Zinc (Zn) Manganese (Mn) Iron (Fe)	% % % % % % % ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm ppm	0.09 0.36 0.12 0.29 0.20 0.15 0.10 5 0.11 0.03 0.5 25 25 30	0.12 0.58 0.19 0.44 0.32 0.18 0.24 7 - 10 0.09 0.03 0.5 25 25 40
Note: ppm = parts per million