Table 2 Minimum, maximum, and the average total metabolizable energy requirements (MER) for maintenance (MERM), growth (MERG), lactation (MERL), travel (MERT) for different livestock categories roaming either in the Sahelian or Sudanian agro-ecological zone.
From: Beyond livestock carrying capacity in the Sahelian and Sudanian zones of West Africa
Livestock | Total MER (MJ/season) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | Category | Age (yr.) | Sahelian zone | Sudanian zone | Sahelian zone | Sudanian zone | ||||||||
Wet season | Wet season | Dry season | Dry season | |||||||||||
Min | Max | Avg | Min | Max | Avg | Min | Max | Avg | Min | Max | Avg | |||
Cattle | Bull | ≥ 3 | 3760 | 6266 | 5013 | 8703 | 13,055 | 10,879 | 7733 | 9942 | 8837 | 3786 | 7573 | 5679 |
Steer | 1–3 | 2707 | 4512 | 3609 | 6558 | 9837 | 8198 | 5065 | 6512 | 5788 | 2783 | 5566 | 4175 | |
Calf | ≤ 1 | 1273 | 2122 | 1698 | 3737 | 5606 | 4672 | 2881 | 3704 | 3293 | 1718 | 3435 | 2577 | |
Heifer | 1–3 | 2258 | 3763 | 3011 | 5387 | 8081 | 6734 | 4248 | 5461 | 4855 | 2254 | 4508 | 3381 | |
Cow | ≥ 3 | 3623 | 6038 | 4830 | 7420 | 11,130 | 9275 | 6366 | 8185 | 7276 | 3176 | 6351 | 4764 | |
Sheep | Young stock | ≤ 1 | 426 | 711 | 569 | 1093 | 1639 | 1366 | 894 | 1149 | 1021 | 553 | 1107 | 830 |
Mature | > 1 | 702 | 1169 | 935 | 1267 | 1901 | 1584 | 922 | 1185 | 1053 | 357 | 714 | 536 | |
Goat | Young stock | ≤ 1 | 333 | 554 | 444 | 899 | 1349 | 1124 | 702 | 903 | 803 | 436 | 873 | 655 |
Mature | > 1 | 677 | 1128 | 902 | 1259 | 1888 | 1573 | 809 | 1035 | 922 | 354 | 709 | 532 | |
