The objective of this trial was to evaluate production of nursing ewes and yearling female lambs grazing annual ryegrass pasture (Lolium multiflorum Lam) supplemented or not with corn grain or soybean meal. Supplements were fed to animals in a quantity equivalent to 1% of sheep unit (ewe + lamb) body weight. The following variables were investigated: average daily gain, body weight gain per hectare, and stocking rate while for ryegrass pasture the following measurements were taken: forage mass, losses, and allowance, pasture height, green leaf allowance, forage mass accumulation rate, total forage production, crude protein content, and in vitro digestibility of hand plucking material. Supplementation did not significantly affect the stocking rate in this trial. Female lambs supplemented with soybean meal had higher average daily gain than those not supplemented that lost 3.4 g daily on pasture only. Body weight gain per hectare was highest by feeding soybean meal to sheep. The sward structure changed during pasture cycle independently of treatment effects.
corn grain; ewe; female lamb; soybean meal; stocking rate
