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1 Introduction
Intensification of livestock production is necessary to decrease greenhouse gas
emissions and improve farmers’ economic situation and food security in Africa. The
livestock sector contributes 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
Reducing the unproductive part of the herd by improving health, weight gain and
reproductive performance is the most important contribution for reducing the carbon footprint from this sector (Gerber et al. 2013b).
Malawi has a cattle population of 1.5 million, dominated by the indigenous Zebu
cattle (Nandolo et al. 2015). The Malawi Zebu cattle depend mainly on natural grass
and crop residues, which most often have low nutritive value. Usually, there is no
supplemental feeding with concentrates or legume crop. During the rainy season,
cattle grazing is restricted to the hill and roadsides as the arable land is used for
growing crops while the dambo (wetland) is unsuitable because of high prevalence
of worms and liver flukes.
Malawi has a tropical climate with two distinct seasons, which are rainy (November
to April) and dry (May to October) seasons, with annual rainfall ranging from 700 to
2400 mm (Banda et al. 2012). Climate change effects have become visible in Malawian
livestock farming. Erratic rainfalls and prolonged dry season may further decrease fodder availability (Morton 2007), which severely affects production and reproduction of
the livestock (Thornton et al. 2009). Since grazing lands are shrinking due to increased
incidences of drought, farmers migrate into traditional grazing areas for cattle
(Akinnagbe and Irohibe 2014). During the dry season, both the quality and quantity of
pasture diminish, and the livestock struggle to maintain body condition; hence, reproduction may be compromised (Klinedinst et al. 1993). Particularly, the onset of ovarian
activity after calving may be delayed, leading into longer calving intervals, fewer
calves per cow and reduced herd growth and health (Chauhan and Ghosh 2014).
Previous studies from Malawi have shown significant potential for increased reproductive efficiency by improved availability of bulls and better care of primiparous Zebu
cows (Bhatti 2016). Also, improved calf survival and enhanced milk production will
decrease the carbon footprint of milk and meat production (Gerber et al. 2013b).
Leguminous plants have been used to improve protein content in cattle feeding
in several African countries. Gliricidia sepium leaves comprise of 21% crude protein, 23.8% crude fibre and 21–34% dry matter (Ministry of Agriculture and Fishries
2013). The high content of protein makes Gliricidia an excellent protein supplement to grass and other basal feeds. Numerous reports conclude that supplementing
feeding with these leaves gives the cows increased weight gain and milk production
(Aye and Adegun 2013). Therefore, the overall objective of this investigation was to
study the effect of supplementing lactating Malawi Zebu cows during the dry season
on reproductive performance and lactation in cows and weight gain in the offspring.
Specifically, our first aim was to study the impact of supplemental feeding of leguminous leaves and maize bran on the calving interval. Our second aim was to study
the association between supplemental feeding and the length of the lactation period
and lastly to study the association between supplemental feeding and body girth
circumference as a proxy for body weight attainment in the offspring.
M. A. Bhatti et al.
1 Introduction
Intensification of livestock production is necessary to decrease greenhouse gas
emissions and improve farmers’ economic situation and food security in Africa. The
livestock sector contributes 14.5% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
Reducing the unproductive part of the herd by improving health, weight gain and
reproductive performance is the most important contribution for reducing the carbon footprint from this sector (Gerber et al. 2013b).
Malawi has a cattle population of 1.5 million, dominated by the indigenous Zebu
cattle (Nandolo et al. 2015). The Malawi Zebu cattle depend mainly on natural grass
and crop residues, which most often have low nutritive value. Usually, there is no
supplemental feeding with concentrates or legume crop. During the rainy season,
cattle grazing is restricted to the hill and roadsides as the arable land is used for
growing crops while the dambo (wetland) is unsuitable because of high prevalence
of worms and liver flukes.
Malawi has a tropical climate with two distinct seasons, which are rainy (November
to April) and dry (May to October) seasons, with annual rainfall ranging from 700 to
2400 mm (Banda et al. 2012). Climate change effects have become visible in Malawian
livestock farming. Erratic rainfalls and prolonged dry season may further decrease fodder availability (Morton 2007), which severely affects production and reproduction of
the livestock (Thornton et al. 2009). Since grazing lands are shrinking due to increased
incidences of drought, farmers migrate into traditional grazing areas for cattle
(Akinnagbe and Irohibe 2014). During the dry season, both the quality and quantity of
pasture diminish, and the livestock struggle to maintain body condition; hence, reproduction may be compromised (Klinedinst et al. 1993). Particularly, the onset of ovarian
activity after calving may be delayed, leading into longer calving intervals, fewer
calves per cow and reduced herd growth and health (Chauhan and Ghosh 2014).
Previous studies from Malawi have shown significant potential for increased reproductive efficiency by improved availability of bulls and better care of primiparous Zebu
cows (Bhatti 2016). Also, improved calf survival and enhanced milk production will
decrease the carbon footprint of milk and meat production (Gerber et al. 2013b).
Leguminous plants have been used to improve protein content in cattle feeding
in several African countries. Gliricidia sepium leaves comprise of 21% crude protein, 23.8% crude fibre and 21–34% dry matter (Ministry of Agriculture and Fishries
2013). The high content of protein makes Gliricidia an excellent protein supplement to grass and other basal feeds. Numerous reports conclude that supplementing
feeding with these leaves gives the cows increased weight gain and milk production
(Aye and Adegun 2013). Therefore, the overall objective of this investigation was to
study the effect of supplementing lactating Malawi Zebu cows during the dry season
on reproductive performance and lactation in cows and weight gain in the offspring.
Specifically, our first aim was to study the impact of supplemental feeding of leguminous leaves and maize bran on the calving interval. Our second aim was to study
the association between supplemental feeding and the length of the lactation period
and lastly to study the association between supplemental feeding and body girth
circumference as a proxy for body weight attainment in the offspring.
M. A. Bhatti et al.