The aim of this study was to extend the grazing period using a wheat pasture that produced high quality forage, and to compare the productivity of natural and wheat pastures for grazing goats during a 3-year period (2003-2005) in a Mediterranean zone of Turkey. | Turk J Agric For 32 (2008) 501-511 © TÜBİTAK Production Potential of a Natural Pasture Compared to a Wheat Pasture, Both Grazed by Lactating Goats under Mediterranean Climate Conditions Basri Hakan HAKYEMEZ1,*, Ahmet GÖKKUŞ1, İsmail Yaman YURTMAN2, Türker SAVAŞ2 1 2 Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Field Crops, TR-17020 Çanakkale - TURKEY Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Animal Science, TR-17020 Çanakkale - TURKEY Received: Abstract: The aim of this study was to extend the grazing period using a wheat pasture that produced high quality forage, and to compare the productivity of natural and wheat pastures for grazing goats during a 3-year period (2003-2005) in a Mediterranean -1 zone of Turkey. Twelve 3-4-year-old Saanen goats were allocated to each pasture (10 goats ha ). Pastures were grazed for 2 months (May and June) in 2003 and for 3 months (April, May, and June) in 2004 and 2005. In the study, pasture yield and hay intake, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) content of the hay, and milk yield and milk fat percentage were determined. Pasture yield was significantly affected by pasture type (P < ) for each year and the wheat -1 -1 pasture ( t ha ) yielded approximately more hay than the natural pasture ( t ha ). Goats in the wheat pasture consumed significantly more forage in 2003 (P = ), 2004 (P < ), and 2005 (P < ). Average hay intake in -1 -1 the wheat pasture ranged between ± and ± kg d in 2003, ± and ± kg d in 2004, and ± and ± kg d-1 in 2005, whereas it ranged between ± and ± kg d-1 in 2003, ± and ± kg d-1 in 2004, and ± and ± kg d-1 in 2005 in the natural pasture. Most of the interactions between pasture type and grazing month were statistically .
