| dc.description.abstract | Lamb growth on cultivated meadow (CM) was compared with lamb growth on enclosed uncultivated pasture land (EUPL). Field experiments were conducted at two sites in Vågå, Oppland, in 2013 and 2014. Quality of plant samples were taken from both CM and EUPL. EUPL at both sites had dry zones with pasture grasses, Agrostis capillaris, Poa spp., Festuca rubra and Anthoxanthum odoratum, and moist zones dominated by Deschampsia cespitosa. The EUPL`s were rich in species, had good grass coverage, and were representative of this type of pastures. Lamb growth on CM was in middle 320 g per day, while the middle growth rate on EUPL was 210 g. CM gave high and stable growth rate, while there were larger variations between sites and years on EUPL. Lambs grazed with their mother at one site, and here growth rate was somewhat higher than at the other site where lambs were separated from mother. Quality samples from CM had high energy value, in average 0.93 feed units per kg dry matter. Pasture grasses from dry areas on EUPL had in average 0.90 feed units per kg dry matter, Deschampsia cespitosa from moister parts 0.73 feed units per kg dry matter. Deschampsia cespitosa had the poorest fiber quality. Lower lamb growth on EUPL can therefore be explained by lower feed quality of Deschampsia cespitosa. | nb_NO |
