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INTRODUCTION
One of the main factors limiting sheep productivity in Iraq is
the shortage of feed resources which can meet their nutrient
requirements. This is due to the deterioration of the
rangeland and shortage of green forages resulting from the
priority for cultivation of land for human food and cash
crops. The shortage of feed grain (barley), which is diverted
to human consumption, is another factor behind the reduction
in sheep productivity. On the other hand, there has been a
considerable increase in the available quantity of crop
residues in recent years, mainly due to the expansion in food
crop production. These residues contribute about 45% of total
feed resources available for ruminants in Iraq. There are
constraints to the use of these crop residues in ruminant
feeding due to their low energy digestibility (35-45%)and low
protein content(3-4%).
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SHEEP FEEDING SYSTEM
Sheep feeding systems in Iraq are well integrated with the
cereal cropping system. Sheep depend mostly on grazing cereal
stubble, hand-fed chopped straw (tibin) and whole barley grain
for a considerable part of the year.
During summer (June-September), which coincides with the
mating season, sheep depend mainly on cereal crop residues
from stubble grazing. No supplement is given during this
time. In winter sheep depend on hand feeding which is mainly
tibin and whole barley grain. Some sheep owners move their
flocks to the desert and steppe. The majority of ewes are in
late pregnancy and early lactation during this period which
has the highest nutrient requirement. In spring, when ewes are
in mid to late lactation the natural pasture can support
requirements, depending on rainfall and temperature during the
previous winter.
This type of feeding system is likely to result in a serious
protein deficiency, especially during summer (stubble grazing)
and winter (hand feeding) which may explain the low
productivity of sheep in Iraq.
With the existing sheep feeding system, strategic
supplementation is the most appropriate way to improve sheep
productivity. Experience in other countries has shown that
multinutrient blocks manufactured from urea and
agro-industrial by-products can be used as a supplement for
improving the productivity of sheep which are dependent on
low, quality roughage as their main diet (Sansoucy et al.,
1988; Leng et al., 1991; Hadjipanayiotou et al., 1993b).
Recently, the IPA Agricultural Research Center in cooperation
with Mashreq Project(ICARDA/UNDP/AFESD.RAB.89/026, Iraq,
Jordan and Syria) has successfully implemented a project to
produce and disseminate multinutrient block technology among
sheep owners in Iraq.
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MANUFACTURE OF MULTINUTRIENT BLOCKS
The manufacture of multinutrient blocks(MB) without any
molasses was promoted by the Food and Agricultural
Organization of the United Nations in different parts of the
world (Hassoun, 1989; Hadjipanayiotou et al., 1993a). In Iraq,
different MB formulae were used with different levels of urea,
binders and varieties of agro-industrial by-products which are
available locally (Table 1). The main ingredients were high
moisture by-products (date pulp, sugar beet pulp, brewers'
grains, tomato pomace and whey) together with poultry litter,
wheat bran, rice bran and ground corn cobs. The other
ingredients were fertilizer grade urea as a source of
nitrogen, calcium sulphate and salt (NaCl). Quick lime was
used as a binder. Inclusion of high moisture date pulp which
is available in Iraq in commercial quantities gave excellent
hardness and compactness. Therefore our strategy was to use
this top quality feedstuff as the main ingredient in the
blocks in the manufacturing plants.
Table 1: Some formulae of multinutrient blocks manufactured in
Iraq.
Formulae No
Ingredients 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Urea 7 8 6 7 5 5 7 4 7 6
Wheat bran 32 20 27 25 32 32 30 10 17 22
Rice bran 22 15 - - - - 5 5 - 5
Poultry litter 20 - - 5 5 5 5 35 5 15
Date pulp - 38 - 35 46 - - - 35 10
Beet pulp - - - - - 46 22 - - -
Brewer grain - - 45 - - - - - - -
Tomato pomace - - - - - - - - - 12
Ground straw - - - - - - - - 8 -
Corn cobs - - 5 10 - - - - 10 11
Reed - 10 - - - - 10 34 - -
CaO 12 10 10 12 8 8 14 6 12 12
CaSO4 2 2 2 2 1 1 2 1 2 2
Salt 5 5 5 5 3 3 5 4 5 5
Whey - - - - - - - 1 - -
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EFFECT OF USING MULTINUTRIENT BLOCKS ON WEIGHT GAIN OF AWASSI
SHEEP GRAZING CEREAL STUBBLE
Several on-station and on-farm experiments were conducted to
evaluate the use of multinutrient blocks as supplementary feed
for Awassi sheep grazing cereal (wheat and barley) stubble as
their basal diet. The results of an on-station experiment
(Table 2) with yearling rams showed that using multinutrient
blocks as supplementary feed during cereal stubble grazing
could replace costly cotton seed meal(CSM). Both groups gained
weight (100 and 93 g/head/d for multinutrient blocks group and
CSM group respectively).
Table 2: Effect of using multinutrient blocks on weight gain
of Awassi sheep grazing cereal stubble,(On-station, Baghdad)
Experiment 1(yearling rams) MB CSM
No. of animals 11 11
Initial Weight(kg) 41.6 41.8
Final Weight(kg) 46.15 46.2
Weight gain(g/d) 100 93
Supplement intake(g/d) 122 100
Experiment 2(ewes) No supplement MB SSM
No. of ewes 29 28 30
Initial Weight(kg) 39.5 39.6 39.4
Final Weight(kg) 41.9 43.7 42.4
Weight gain(g/d) 30 51 44
Supplement intake(g/d) - 144 150
MB=Multinutrient Blocks
CSM=Cotton seed meal
SSM=Sunflower seed meal
Feeding Awassi ewes multinutrient blocks (Table 2) during
cereal stubble grazing improved their weight gain by about 72%
and 21% as compared to control (no supplement)group and
sunflower meal supplement groups respectively. Similar trends
were observed in the on-farm experiments which were conducted
in three villages in Mosul area (north of Iraq) (Table 3). Ewe
weight gain increased considerably(48-400%) as a result of
multinutrient block supplementation as compared with farmer
practice (no supplement). The response to feeding
multinutrient blocks in on-farm experiments were even more
pronounced than that obtained on-station. Better responses
could be due to a longer grazing time than the ewes on the
station. These results confirmed previous studies which
indicated that multinutrient blocks improved the weight gain
of ewes dependent on low quality forages as their main diet
(Habib et al., 1991, Hendratno et al., 1991 and
Hadjipanayiotou et al., 1993b).
Table 3: Effect of multinutrient blocks (MB) on weight gain of
Awassi ewes grazing cereal stubble (on-farm, Mosul area)
Village
Al-Shallat Al-Muside Al-Irbid
C MB C MB C MB
No. of ewes 49 48 28 27 30 30
Initial weight(kg) 46.9 47.2 48.4 44.4 46.6 46.0
Final weight(kg) 47.7 51.2 50.8 53.6 48.5 48.8
Weight gain(g/d) 8 40 66 115 52 77
Blocks intake(g/d) - 150 - 243 - 252
C=Farmer practice(No supplement)
MB=Multinutrient blocks
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EFFECT OF MULTINUTRIENT BLOCKS SUPPLEMENTATION ON THE
REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE OF AWASSI EWES.
Farmers in Iraq do not use any supplementation for ewes
grazing on cereal stubbles during the mating season. The
lengthy mating season together with no supplementation may be
responsible for the low conception, lambing and twinning
rates.
The effect of using supplementary feed on the reproductive
performance of Awassi ewes grazing cereal stubble has been
investigated in one on-station experiment. The results of this
experiment are presented in Table 4. Using during stubble
grazing multinutrient blocks enriched with cotton seed meal (a
source of by-pass protein) and vitamin A, D and E resulted in
considerable improvement in conception rate (11%), lambing
percentage (26%), cycling activity and twinning percentage
(15%) as compared to the control non-supplemented group.
Supplementation with multinutrient blocks also considerably
improved the reproductive performance of goats (Hendratno et
al., 1991).
Table 4: Effect of multinutrient blocks on reproductive
performance of Awassi ewes grazing cereal stubble (on-station)
Measurements C MB
No. of ewes 27 27
No. of ewes lambed 21 24
No. of ewes lambed from 1st cycle 12 16
No. of ewes lambed from 2nd cycle 7 8
No. of ewes lambed from 3rd cycle 2 -
No. of ewes giving twin 3 7
Conception rate(%) 78.0 89.0
Lambing(%) 89.0 115
Twinning(%) 11.0 26.0
Block intake - 227
C: Farmer practice (no supplement)
MB: Multinutrient blocks
The improvement in the reproductive performance of Awassi ewes
due to feeding multinutrient blocks can be considered the most
important aspect of this technology in Iraq and in WANA
countries where sheep depend heavily on cereal stubble grazing
during the mating season.
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USING MULTINUTRIENT BLOCKS AS SUPPLEMENTARY FEED DURING SHEEP
HAND-FEEDING PERIOD
The hand-feeding period is considered the most critical time
for sheep farmers in Iraq because of the shortage of grazing.
Currently, sheep depend on whole barley grain and stored
chopped straw (tibin) as their main diet. Barley grain is
directed to human consumption in Iraq and there is therefore
great interest among farmers in replacing barley grain with
other cheaper feed resources. Using multinutrient blocks
during the hand-feeding period, which coincides with the ewes'
late pregnancy and early lactation was tested by on-station
and on-farm experiments. The results of the on-station
experiment (Table 5) showed that using multinutrient blocks or
sunflower seed meal as protein supplements resulted in a
significant reduction in the amount of barley grain required
(40%) as compared with the control group. The results of
on-farm experiments, which were conducted at two locations in
the Mosul area, gave a better indication of the benefit of
using multinutrient blocks during the hand-feeding period.
These results (Table 6) showed that using high energy MB
resulted in a significant replacement of costly barley grain
(50-100%). The majority of the farmers who used multinutrient
blocks for sheep feeding during the last three years observed
that they can successfully replaced of 50% of barley grain. We
believe this is the main reason behind the success of
multinutrient blocks in Iraq.
Table 5: Effect of feeding multinutrient blocks on the
performance of Awassi ewes during late pregnancy and lactation
period (on-station)
Control Multinutrient Sunflower
Blocks seed meal
No. of ewes 23 22 22
Days on test 132 132 132
Initial ewe weight(kg) 44.67 42.09 43.35
Final ewe weight(kg) 43.13 41.63 40.81
Lambs birth weight(kg) 4.84 4.71 4.83
Lambs weaning weight(kg) 25.41 24.24 24.43
Milk yield(g/ewe/d) 402 888 867
FEED INTAKE(g/ewe/d):
Whole barley grain 660 430 430
Wheat bran 400 360 360
Straw 527 416 390
Blocks - 268 -
Sunflower seed meal - - 185
Table 6: Effect of feeding multinutrient blocks (MB) on the
performance of ewes during late pregnancy and early lactation
(on-farm, Mosul area)
Nazah area Al-Jernaff area
Control MB Control MB
No. of ewes 20 20 15 15
Days on test 85 85 72 72
Initial ewe weight(kg) 51.9 52.5 48.3 47.6
Final ewe weight(kg) 37.1 37.4 40.5 42.6
Lambs birth weight(kg) 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.1
Lambs weight at 8 weeks(kg) 12.3 13.4 13.2 11.7
Milk yield(gld) 342 358 500 362
FEED INTAKE(g/ewe/d)
Whole barley grain 412 - 712 356
Straw 265 500 370 370
Block - 347 - 416
Feed cost(L.D/head) 2326 1442 3341 2614
Price of straw = 100 I.D./ton
Price of barley grain = 60000 I.D./ton
Price of MB = 27000 I.D./ton
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TRANSFERRING MULTINUTRIENT BLOCKS TECHNOLOGY TO SHEEP OWNERS
AND MANUFACTURERS IN IRAQ
The success in transferring multinutrient block technology to
sheep owners and manufacturers in Iraq was mainly due to
adoption of step-by-step methodology (Mohammed et al., 1995).
This methodology consisted of the following stages:
1. Initial experimentation in the manufacture of multinutrient
blocks.
2. Testing the manufactured blocks in several on-station
trials together with chemical analysis to evaluate the
nutritional value.
3. Conducting on-farm trials to verify the results obtained at
the research station and testing the degree of acceptance of
the new feed source by sheep owners.
4. Conducting field day demonstrations in various parts of the
country to show the animal owners the importance of blocks as
top quality supplement.
5. Conducting training courses for extension workers of the
Ministry of Agriculture to gain their active involvement in
disseminating the new technology.
6. Expansion of the production of multinutrient blocks through
contracts with private investors.
7. Large scale adoption and dissemination of the new
technologies through provision of inputs and technical
support.
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CONCLUSIONS
The success of multinutrient blocks technology is considered
as the major breakthrough in animal feeding in Iraq. This is
mainly due to wide ranging adoption of the technology by
manufacturers and sheep owners. It is well established that
using multinutrient block improved the performance of sheep
during stubble grazing and considerably reduced feed cost
during the hand-feeding period.
The methodology of making multinutrient blocks is simple and
does not need sophisticated equipment. Also multinutrient
blocks can be made by making use of a wide variety of
by-products which are available locally. With increasing
demand for multinutrient blocks by animal owners, fourteen
manufacturing plants have been established in various
provinces in Iraq.
The total of multinutrient blocks produced by IPA and the
private plants during 1995-1996 season was 15000 tons which
were distributed to 3986 sheep owners at cost price plus 30%
marginal profit.
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REFERENCES
Habib G., Basit Ali Shah S., Wahidullah G. and Ghuffranullah.
1991. The importance of urea-molasses blocks and by-pass
protein in animal production. The situation in Pakistan.
133-145. In Isotope and Related Technigues in Animal
Production and Health by International Atomic Energy. Vienna.
Hadjipanayiotou, M., Verhaeghe, L., Allen, M., Kronfoleh, A.
R., Labban, L. M., Shurbaji A., Al-Wadi M., Dassouki M.,
Shaker B. and Amin M. 1993a Urea blocks. I. Methodology of
block making and different formulae tested in Syria. Livestock
Research for Rural Development 5(3).
Hadjipanayiotou, M., Verhaeghe. L., Kronfoleh, A. R., Labban,
L. M., Amin, M., Al-Wadi, M., Badran A., Dawa, K., Shurbaji,
A., Houssein, M., Malki, G., Naigm, T., Merawi, A. R. and
Harres, A. K. 1993b Urea blocks. II Performance of cattle and
sheep offered urea blocks in Syria. Livestock Research for
Rural Development 5(3).
Hassoun, P. 1989. Manufacture of urea block without molasses.
Mimeogragh, FAO, Rome, Italy.
Hendratno, C., Nalan, J. V. and Leng. R. A. 1991. The
importance of urea-molasses multinutrient blocks for ruminant
production in Indonesia. 157-169. In Isotope and Related
Techniques in Animal Production and Health by International
Atomic Energy Agency. Vienna.
Leng, R. A., Preston, T. R., Sansoucy, R. and George Kunju, P.
L. 1991. Multinutrient blocks as a strategic supplement for
ruminants. World Animal Review 67:11-19.
Mohammed. A. H., Salman, A. D., Shideed, K. H. and Sudad, S.
H. 1995. The mechanism of feed block technology transfer to
manufacturers and sheep owners. Regional Symposium on
Integrated crop-livestock systems in the Dry Area of West Asia
and North Africa, 6-8 November, Amman, Jordan.
Sansoucy, R., Aarts, G. and Preston, T. R. 1988. Molasses-Urea
blocks as multinutrient supplement for ruminants. In Sugarcane
as Feed, Proc. of an FAO Experts consultation held in Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic, 7-11/7/1986. FAO Animal
Production and Health Paper No 72. 319 pp.
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LIVESTOCK FEED RESOURCES WITHIN INTEGRATED FARMING SYSTEMS
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