Determining of Animal Unit Equivalent, Metabolizable Energy and the Daily Requirement of Forage in Maintenance condition of Zandi Sheep (Case of Study: lar National Park, Aroo rangeland)

Being aware of the animals` food requirement, the amount of available forage in the rangeland and forage quality is necessary as the first step in successful management of animals and rangeland. Therefore, determining the weight of various animals` classes grazing in the rangeland and their conversion factor regarding country`s animal unit is an essential issue. In this research, to determine the weight of various classes of Zandi sheep grazing in the Lar National Park rangelands of Aroo region, three prevalent flocks of Zandi race were selected randomly and from each flock, 60 heads of animals including 20 heads of ewe ageing 3 years old, 20 heads of ewe aging 4 years old, 5 heads of ram aging 3 years old, 5 heads of ram aging 4 years old and 10 heads of lamb aging 3 months were signed and selected in two phases, one at the beginning of the season and the other at the end of season. Having utilized the mean weight of ewes aging 3 and 4 years, the weight of the sheep glazing in the studied region was estimated to be equal to 1.65±48.03 kg. Various kinds of forage being glazed by the sheep were identified and collected in this rangeland through two phases of flowering and seeding. The mean percentage of CP, ADF, DMD and ME in every kg of dry forage equaled to 11.56, 37.78, 56.88, 7.69 mega joule, respectively.